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THE 



CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS IN ROME. 



BY THE 

RIGHT REV. WM. INGRAHAM KIP, D. D., 



BISHOP OF CALIFORNIA. 



^ 



rerum pulcherrima, Roma. 

ViRG. Georg. ii. 534. 



#*% 




E. P. BUTTON AND COMPANY. 

BOSTON: 135 WASHINGTON STREET. 
NEW YORK: 762 BROADWAY. 

1869. , 



h 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by 

E. P. Button and Company, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts 



(^iO^ 



\ 



^^ 



RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY 

H. 0. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. 



To 

THE COMPANION OF THESE WANDERINGS, 

HER HUSBAND 

INSCRIBES THIS VOLUMR 



'* Why, wedded to the Lord, still yearns ray heart 
Upon these scenes of ancient heathen fame? 
Yet legend hoar, and voice of bard that came 

Fixing my restless youth with its sweet art, 

And shades of power, and those who bore their part 
In the mad deeds that set the world in flame, 
To fret my memory here— ah! is it blame 

That from my eye the tear is fain to start? 

Nay, from no fount impure these drops arise; 

'Tis but the sympathy with Adam's race. 

Which in each brother's history reads its own." 

— Lyra Apostolica. 



PREFACE. ' 



To have seen Rome is a great fact in an individ- 
aFs life. So it appeared to the writer of these pages, 
when wandering among her mighty ruins, finding 
everywhere the bright pictures of youthful imagina- 
tion surpassed. Cicero in his day declared, — '' We 
are surrounded by the vestiges of history." How 
then should we feel when, standing on the same 
spot, we realize that eighteen centuries have since 
added their relics ! 

The title of this volume does not perhaps, give 
an adequate idea of its contents. The writer was 
led to adopt it, because his primary object in visit- 
ing Rome at that season, was to witness the Christ- 
mas services. His residence there was, however, 
prolonged through the greater part of the winter, all 
of which time was occupied in diligent study of the 
inexhaustible objects around him. To attempt a de- 
scription of one half, in a work of this size, would 
be in vain ; he has therefore only selected from his 
notes written on the spot, some of those things which 
excited the greatest interest in his OAvn mind. 



VI PREFACE, 

It will be seen that while he has paid some atten- 
tion to the antiquities of the city and the classical 
associations connected with them, he has dwelt par- 
ticularly upon Ecclesiastical matters relating to the 
Church of Rome. And in this respect, he thinks the 
work will differ from most of those on the same sub- 
ject. Travellers seem generally to have given only a 
one-sided view of the Papal Church. Some were ready 
to commend everything, and others, on the contrary, 
saw nothing good in the whole system, — no rite or 
service which did not shock some violent prejudice. 
Now in this, as in everything else, there is a proper 
medium. The Church of Rome is indeed deformed 
by many fearful errors, which often strike at the 
very cardinal doctrines of our faith, but she has also 
retained much that is Catholic. Were it not so, that 
mighty Hierarchy could not have subsisted for so 
many centuries, through every change and convul- 
sion ; winning to its spiritual sway, the crowds of 
northern barbarians which swept over the city ; 
and even at the present day, drawing to itself pros- 
elytes in lands, where intellectual and spiritual free- 
dom give every opportunity for the thorough discus- 
sion of this subject. These are the very things which 
render the system so dangerous, enabling it to charm 
the imagination and retain its hold upon the human 
mind, while its influence is withering to the best 
interests of our race. The writer has, therefore, 
endeavored to look at the Church of Rome without 



PREFACE, vii 

prejudice, and while his investigation strengthened 
the unfavorable view he before had of the practical 
working of that system, he still has not withheld 
his tribute of ])raise from anything he saw which 
was truly Catholic. 

He has been obliged to write this volume entirely 
during the last three months, amidst those engross- 
ing cares of parish duty which necessarily gathered 
around him after the absence of nearly a year from 
his field of labor. He mentions this, not to depre- 
cate criticism, but to account for mistakes which 
may exist. To him, however, the labor has been 
a pleasant one, reviving associations which he would 
always wish to cherish. Beautiful Italy ! thy old 
traditions lingering around each crumbling fane, and 
consecrating each fountain and grove, are inspiration 
to the mind ! thy very language is melody to the 
ear ! Thy bright and sunny clime ; thy land so 
richly dowered with loveliness ; thy antique and 
solemn ruins ; how will the recollections they fur- 
nish mingle with the stern realities of coming days, 
and soften the carking cares of this working world ! 
They will return to us like the glorious visions 
which ever after floated before the eves of the Ara- 
bian shepherd, when — as Eastern fable tells us, — 
while wandering in the wilderness, he had caught 
a single glimpse of the gardens of Irim, and then 
lost them again forever. 

Ai.nANv, Chrisimns, 1845. 



PREFACE TO PRESENT EDITION. 



More than twenty years ago, after a winter spent 
in Rome with the enthusiasm of early days, the 
author published this volume. It was shortly after 
reprinted in London, edited by the Rev. Wm. Sew- 
all, of Exeter College, Oxford, and in successive 
editions has retained its place, with the reading pub- 
lic in England, to this day. In this country, how- 
ever, it has been long out of print, and the author 
has, therefore, yielded to the requests of ft*iends to 
have a new edition issued. 

In revising it, after another visit to Rome and 
with the wider experience which these years have 
given, he finds no necessity to modify a single opin- 
ion or alter any conclusion which he then expressed. 
Rome sits unchanged upon her Seven Hills. Greg- 
ory XVI. indeed sleeps with his predecessors, and 
Pius IX. reigns in his stead, but the system is un- 
changed. All things there continue as they were. 

Even the outward features of the city are un- 
changed. A score of years has left no impress on 
her hoary ruins. The Railway indeed now winds 



X PREFACE TO PRESENT EDITION, 

across the desolate Campagna, fi'om Civita Vecchia 
to the city, but it stops without the walls. With- 
in them no innovations of the nineteenth century are 
allowed. When the author was asked, — '' Do you 
see changes in anything here since your last visit ? " 
— he was obliged to answer, — '' In nothing but 
myself! " 

October, 1868. 



CONTENTS. 

♦— — 

I. PAGE 

CiviTA Vecchia. — Journey to Rome. — The " Eternal City " 
BY Moonlight 1 

II. 
View from the Tower of the Senator 8 

III. 
St. Peter's Church 21 

IV. 
The Christmas Services 41 

V. 
The Capitoline Hill 53 

VI. 
The Vatican .. 67 

VII. 
Presentation at the Papal Court. — The Popedom . . 81 

VIII. 
A Day's Ramble in Rome 90 

IX. 
The Epiphany Services 105 

X. 

The Tombs of the last Stuarts . 115 



xii CONTENTS, 

XL p AQZ 

The Coliseum. —Palace of the Caesars. — Baths . . .122 

XII. 

Dramatic Character of the Church Services. — Sermon by 

A Vicar-General. — Capuchin Cemetery . . . .140 

XIII. 
.^Christian Art. — Oveebeck 151 

XIV. 
.Excursion on the Appian Way 159 

XV. 
Cardinals. — Mezzofanti 179 

XVI. 
The Protestant Burial-ground 188 

XVII. 
The Palaces of Rome 199 

XVIII. 
Excursion to Tivoli . . 223 

XIX. 
The Churches of Rome 236 

XX. 

Exhibition at the Propaganda. — Funerals. — Vespers at the 
Convent of Santa TRIN^TA 258 

XXI. 

The Roman People. — The Civil Government of the Papal 

Court 270 

XXII. 
The Papal Church 28] 

XXIII. 
Farewell to Rome 301 



^ff'^ir^T^^^^^^^!^^^^^^ 




^S 



THE 



CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 



CIVITA VECCHIA. 



CHAPTER L 



JOURNEY TO ROME. THE " ETER- 



NAL CITY BY MOONLIGHT. 




T was in one of the most lovely nights ever 
'seen under an Italian sky, that the steamer 
in which we had embarked from Genoa came 
within sight of the coast of the Papal domin- 
ions. The moon had risen in her queen-like beauty, 
and as she rode high above us in the heavens, every 
wave of the Mediterranean seemed tinged with her 
radiance. Felucca, polacre, xebec, and other strange 
looking craft, were floating lazily on the sea, while our 
own vessel, as she glided through the blue waters, left 
a track of molten silver to mark her way. The cool, 
fresh breeze which came sweeping over the sea was 
far more grateful than the heated air of the cabin, and 
we remained long on deck, seeing as we passed, on the 
one hand. Napoleon's miniature kingdom of Elba, and 
on the other, the long line of the main-land, which 
owes submission to his Holiness Gregory XVI. 

At sunrise the next morning we entered the harbor 

of Civita Vecchia, the nearest approach which can be 
1 



2 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

made by sea to the city of Rome. The remaining 
distance, fifty-two miles, must be travelled by land. 
Ostia, the ancient port in which, during the days of 
the republic, her galleys rode, where Scipio Africanus 
embarked for Spain, and Claudius for Britain, is indeed 
but sixteen miles fi'om the city, and was formerly 
much nearer, but the gradual accumulation of sand 
has entirely destroyed its harbor. After it was sacked 
by the Saracens in the fifth century, no attempt was 
made to restore it. The salt marshes, which Livy 
mentions as existing in the days of Ancus Martins, 
gradually encroached on the one side, and the sand 
was drifted over it from the sea on the other, until 
this city, which once contained eighty thousand inhab- 
itants, now has on'ly about fifty souls living in wretch- 
edness among its ruins. We passed it in the steamer 
some months afterwards on our way up from Naples ; 
but the site is only marked by the remains of a temple 
and theatre almost concealed by brambles, and a pictur- 
esque old fortress erected during the Middle Ages, 
with two solitary pine-trees standing in front of it. 
And yet, this place was once a suburb of imperial 
Rome : from thence the old consuls went forth to vic- 
tory, and there they landed to commence their tri- 
umphs as they entered the city. 

Civita Vecchia, with its fortress erected from plans 
furnished by Michael Angelo, and its long ramparts, 
presents a striking view from the sea, which you find, 
on landing, the reality by no means justifies. It has, 
however, some traces of antiquity, for the massive 
stone-work of its port was built under the direction of 
Trajan (the younger Pliny describes it as the '' Trajani 
Portus ") ; and here, as at Terracina, the bronze rings 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 3 

by which the Roman galleys were made fast to the 
quays still remain. The immense prisons lining the 
basin have a bright appearance, which contrasts strange- 
ly with the gloomy object to which they are devoted. 
When we came on deck at dawn, the galley-slaves, in 
their parti-colored dresses, were just marching out to 
work, attended by a strong guard of soldiers. Their 
number is said to be nearly twelve hundred, and the 
clanking of their chains as they walked was the first 
sound which greeted us from the States of the Church. 
The manner in which we were fleeced on all sides at 
this port of his Holiness was a foretaste of what we were 
to expect in Italy. You first pay sundry pauls^ for being 
rowed ashore from the steamer ; several porters (/a^- 
chini) seize your baggage, and, unless you can squabble 
in ItaHan, you must bestow some more pauls on each for 
carrying it to the custom-house — more pauls to the 
officials there, for weighing it, to see whether or not it 
is beyond the allowable weight for the carriage — more 
for plumbing it (that is, cording it up, and fastening it 
with a lead seal, which is not to be taken off" till you reach 
Rome) — more for the printed permit to pass it through 
the gates when you leave — more for hoisting it up on 
the top of the carriage ; and so you go on, paying away 
on the right and on the left, until your small change and 
patience are both exhausted. In this little catalogue is 
not included the fee to the custom-house officer, whose 
inspection was a mere pro formd business. He lifted 
the covers of our trunks, made a great flourish about the 
examination, in the course of which he opened a book 
(happening to be a controversial one on the Romish 
Church), and looked into it as curiously as if there was 

1 Apaul or paulo is about eleven cents. 



4 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

any probability of his understanding what it was, and 
then closed the trunks again. He next whispered to us, 
that " he should be happy to receive sometliing, as we 
had been well served," turned his back, put his open 
hand behind him with a great affectation of secrecy, 
closed it as the expected pauls dropped in, and the farce 
was over. Add to this about a dollar for the visS of 
each passport, and you have the history of the black- 
mail levied on us at Civita Vecchia in about two hours. 
At noon we set out in a carriage drawn by three 
horses. '' And so we went towards Rome." The road 
for one half of the distance skirts the Mediterranean, 
through a region dreary and often uncultivated, though 
the last part, where it tui'ns eastward into the country, 
becomes more hilly. One who looked only to the 
present, would pronounce it a ride without interest, ex- 
cept where his curiosity was, at times, excited by some 
massive ruins near the road, or a lonely tower hanging 
over the sea, reminding him of days of feudal strife. 
But, as Walpole says, '' our memory sees more than our 
eyes in this country." The classical scholar, therefore, 
looks upon it as a land seamed and furrowed by the 
footsteps of past ages. He is in the midst of places of 
which Strabo and Pliny wrote. He crosses the Vac- 
cina, the Amnis Coeretanus of his old school days. He 
passes through Cervetere, once one of the most impor- 
,tant cities of ancient Etruria, where Virgil tells us 
Mezentius reigned when Eneas entered Italy ; and the 
paintings in whose tombs, Pliny says, existed long be- 
fore the foundation of Rome. It is supposed, indeed, 
that the Romans were first initiated in the mysteries of 
the Etruscan worship by the priests of Caere ; and, when 
Rome was invaded by the Gauls, it was here that the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 5 

vestal virgins found an asylum, and were sent for safety 
with the sacred fire. Every scene, indeed, has its sep- 
arate story ; and old memories of the past are crowding 
back on the traveller's mind, as he hears names which 
are associated with all he knows of classical interest. 

It is something, too, to be riding along the shores of 
the Mediterranean. Its waves are haunted by the spirit 
of the past. We see them sparkling at our feet, or 
stretching out to the horizon, blue and beautiful in the 
sunlight, and we remember what countries they lave. 
Opposite to us is Africa, where St. Augustine once ruled, 
and hundreds of temples reared the Cross on high ; 
then comes Egypt with its hoary antiquity, by the side 
of which Italy is young and childlike ; then that holy 
land which our Lord " environed with his blessed feet," 
and where Paradise was Lost and was Regained. On 
we pass to old Tyre, where, as prophecy foretold, the 
nets are drying on the rocks ; and onward again, till 
we behold the waters breaking in the many bays of 
Greece. There was the last foothold of the " faded 
hierarchy " of Olympus ; and now, though songs are 
hushed and dances stilled in that land, yet beauty has 
everywhere left the wonderful tokens of her presence. 
And to the shores, too, where we are, the waves of this 
sea have borne one race after another from the far East, 
and seen the feeble colonies expand into greatness, until 
their children went forth to inherit the earth. What 
wonderful memories then linger around this mighty 
" valley of waters ! " ^ 

The last few miles were over the silent and desolate 

1 " The valley of waters, widest next to that 
Which doth the earth engarland." 

Dante. 11 Paradiso^ c. ix. 1. 80. 



6 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Campagna — low stunted trees only at times were seen, 
and not a habitation gave notice that we were drawing 
nigh to a mighty city. Far as the eye can reach is an 
unbroken waste, and the mistress of the world stands 
encircled by a melancholy solitude. Yet is it not ap- 
propriate that it should be so ? About fair Naples are 
lovely vineyards, lining the road with the rich festoons 
they have hung from tree to tree ; and from whichever 
side you approach beautiful Florence, whether from the 
smiling fields of Tuscany, or " leafy Valombrosa," or 
the woody heights of Fiesole, where Milton mused and 
wrote, there is still the same rich and lively scenery. 
All things are in unison with the gay and poetical char- 
acter of these cities. Should not Rome, then, the fallen 
metropolis of the earth, majestic even in ruins, be sur- 
rounded only by barrenness and decay ? Every object 
should inspire thoughts of awe and melancholy, as we 
approach this '^ Niobe of nations," standing thus — 

•* Childless and crownless in her voiceless woe." 

It was late at night when we reached the neighbor- 
hood of " the Eternal City ; " but the moon was up, 
shedding its light over the whole landscape, and we 
waited with eager impatience for our first view of the 
mistress of the world. At length it came. ''Roma ! " 
shouted the postilion, and at once all heads were thrust 
through the carriage windows. Towers and turrets, 
columns and cupolas, rose before us, and high above all, 
the majestic dome of St. Peter's mounting in the air. 
We were approaching the Porta Cavalliggeri, immedi- 
ately in the rear of that miracle of architecture. A few 
moments more and we reached it — our passports were 
inspected by the guard — we entered, and were within 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 7 

the walls of Rome. Our carriage drove round close to 
the mighty colonnades of St. Peter's, stretched out far 
on both sides as if embracing the vast arena they in- 
close ; then rose before us, with its massive towers, the 
Castle of St. Angelo, once the mighty tomb — 

" which Hadrian rear'd on high, 



Imperial mimic of old Egypt's piles." 

We crossed the Tiber, as it sluggishly wound along in 
the calm moonlight, by the ancient Pons ^lius, and 
around us on every side was the magnificence of which 
we had heard from our earliest years, — a magnificence 
which still survives the wrecks of wars and violence, and 
/•apine and earthquake, and conflagrations and floods. 
All was the more grand and solemn because not seen 
in the glare of day. The delusive visionary light and 
deep, broad shadows enlarged every portico, increased 
the height of every dome and tower, and left the im- 
agination to fill up the gigantic outline they revealed. 
And thus, we felt, should Rome be seen for the first 
time ! 





CHAPTER 11. 

VIEW FROM THE TOWER OF THE SENATOR. 

T takes some time for one to become accus- 
tomed to the thought that he is in Rome. 
To be actually living within its walls — to 
be treading on the same spot where the old 
consuls walked — where the Scipios and Caesars played 
that mighty game which bequeathed their names to all 
posterity — this is the fulfillment of our early dreams, 
which it is difficult for a long while to realize. We 
find ourselves insensibly exclaiming, " This is Rome ! " 
as if these little words contained a meaning we were 
unable fully to grasp, and which we were endeavoring, 
therefore, to impress upon our minds. And these feel- 
ings are natural. Servius Sulpicius, '^ the Roman 
friend of Rome's least mortal mind," could be won from 
a remembrance of his own griefs, by a sight of the 
time-worn ruins of ancient days. As he gazed upon 
Megara and ^gina, Corinth and the Piragus, he forgot 
his private sorrows, merging all other feelings in his 
sympathy for fallen greatness.^ May not we then, 
wanderers from a distant continent, of whose very 
existence the old Roman was ignorant, when we 
stand for the first time in the home of his ancient 
glory, feel as if haunted by a memory of the mighty 
deeds which have been there achieved ? 
1 Middleton's Cicero^ v. ii. p. 371. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 9 

Our first object was to gain a clear knowledge of the 
situation of Rome and the localities of the surrounding 
country. This morning, therefore, we took our way 
through the Corso (or Via Lata), passing the beautiful 
columns of Trajan and Antoninus, with the spiral line of 
sculpture winding from the base to the capital of each. 
They are perfect, except that the statues of the emper- 
ors have been removed, and those of St. Peter and St. 
Paul substituted in their place. At the distance of a 
hundred and twenty feet from the ground, it is of course 
impossible to distinguish an apostle from an emperor, 
although the former seems very much out of place 
above these sculptured representations of Eastern wars 
and heathen sacrifices. We ascended to the Capitol, 
and, from the lofty tower of the Palace of the Senator, 
beheld the country spread out around us like a pano- 
rama. It was a clear and beautiful day, so that in the 
transparency of an Italian atmosphere, the most distant 
points were easily visible. But where on the wide earth 
can a single spot be selected, which will command a 
view of so much historical interest ! The Capitoline Hill 
stands between the ruins which remain of old Rome and 
the new city which has sprung into being on the other 
side — between the ancient Capitol of the Republic and 
the Empire, and the modern city of the Popes, which 
has grown up in the last few centuries. It seems, there- 
fore, to look down, as it were, upon the living and the 
dead. On the one hand, stand lonely and grand those 
majestic ruins — the Forum, with the lofty pillars of its 
temples — the Coliseum — the triumphal arches of the 
emperors — all, indeed, which eighteen centuries of 
war and rapine have left us. Their venerable forms 
bear not alone the ftirrows of age, but are marked also 



10 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

by the traces of destruction and Gothic violence. We 
turn from them, and on the other hand are the narrow, 
crowded streets, and faintly there ascend to us the 
tumult and noise of busy life among the thousands who 
have inherited the name of Roman, without being 
heirs to any of the stern virtues which distinguished 
their ancestors. 

Let us then place ourselves for an hour on this hill, 
and "begetting the time again" out of the recollec- 
tions of history, summon back the two thousand years 
which have gone. On this spot stood the humble cot- 
tage of Romulus, long preserved with pious care as a 
relic of their rude forefathers. Here and on the neigh- 
boring Palatine Mount were gathered his little band of 
colonists, while the surrounding hills were yet tangled 
wildernesses of trees, and the low grounds were marshes 
formed by the overflow of the Tiber. About their 
habitations they had erected a wall, which, if we credit 
the traditionary stories of Livy, could have offered but 
little resistance to the many enemies who lived almost 
at their gates. Years went by, and one hostile nation 
after another was conquered, and sometimes, as in the 
case of Alba, the population removed and incorporated 
among the victors. Thus the city grew, and extended 
over "- the Seven Hills," whose outline we can yet 
easily trace, though the accumulation of soil in the val- 
leys has much diminished their height. It was not, 
however, till the days of Aurelian that it attained its 
extent, and by him the walls were erected the same in 
circumference that they are at this day. Then too the 
ancient Campus Martins was taken in, which from the 
time of Servius Tullius had been without the city. 
Where the Roman youth had been for ages accustomed 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 11 

to practice their martial exercises, Augustus commenced 
the erection of magnificent buildings. The population 
has since travelled northward, and gradually encroached 
upon it, until now it is the most thickly settled district. 

Thus it is that the old landmarks connect the past 
with the present, and ancient Rome was the same in 
the circuit of its vast and antique walls that the city is 
now. Yet within them how different does everything 
appear ! The population has gradually diminished, 
until it has become thinly scattered over this wide space. 
Look over it, and you behold wild fields mingled with 
its habitations, and here and there grassy lanes winding 
among ruins, or some hill-top rising up lonely and bare, 
apparently deserted by the foot of man. The " yellow 
Tiber" sweeps onward, among hoary monuments which 
bend over its waters. Heathen temples and the domes 
of Christian churches — the stately palaces of her 
ancient nobility, with around them garden terraces 
rising one above the other, glittering with pillars and 
statues, on whose snowy whiteness the climate produces 
no change : smiling orange groves, their rich green 
and gold gleaming in the sunshine ; the tall cypresses, 
with their dark foliage ; the stone pines, with their 
broad flat tops, so oriental in appearance ; and, diffused 
over all, the many tinted, colored atmosphere of this 
delicious clime ; such is Rome as we gaze upon it 
to-day. 

We said in the last chapter that the Campagna en- 
circled the city, and from the elevated place on which 
we stood, we saw its flat, unbroken surface stretching 
out, until it was bounded, like the frame of some mighty 
picture, by the Sabine hills, about sixteen miles distant. 
It is a waste of fern, with here and there a withered 



12 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

pine-tree breaking the dull uniformity ; yet generally 
treeless, and often shrubless. The roads of ancient 
Rome — such, for example, as the Appian Way — pass 
over it, lined with the remains of tombs, which, though 
now in ruins, are so beautifully picturesque that they 
are the admiration of the painter, and form always the 
finest feature in his landscape. At a distance, too, may 
be seen the long line of arches of the Claudian Aque- 
duct, the most massive ruin without the walls. But 
from the surface of the ground, the noxious malaria is 
constantly rising, and malignant sickness cuts down the 
shepherds who have made their home in the old ruined 
tombs. 

And yet it is evident that this dreary waste must 
once have been covered with cities, and inhabited by 
a busy population. Among the fifty nations enumer- 
ated by Pliny as belonging to Latium in an early day, 
and which had entirely disappeared, he places no less 
than thirty-three towns within the compass of what 
are now the Pontine Marshes.^ The Fidenae were 
only five, and the Gabii ten miles from Rome, and 
yet so few vestiges of their existence remained, that 
when Horace wishes to convey an idea of perfect deso- 
lation, he says ^ — 

" Gabiis desertior atque, 
Fidenis vicus." 

Ancient writers tell us, indeed, that from Rome to 
Ostia, a space of sixteen miles, the whole road was 
lined with buildings ; and Florus calls Tibur, which is 
about the same distance over the Campagna, a suburb 
of Rome. " Whoever," says Dionysius, " wishes to 
ascertain the size of Rome, will be led into error, 

1 Hist. Nat. iii. 5. 2 Epis. i. xi. 7. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 13 

and have no certain mark to decide how far the city 
reaches, or where it begins not to be city ; the country 
is so connected with the town, and gives those who see 
it an idea of a city infinitely extended."^ This certainly 
presents a very different picture from Rome as it is at 
the present day, hemmed in by its walls, and all with- 
out them a desolate solitude. Tacitus, however, states 
that in the reign of Claudius the inhabitants amounted 
to nearly six millions ; ^ a population which could not 
have been contained within the walls, and must have 
been widely spread over the Campagna itself. 

The causes of this change, however, are obvious. As 
long ago as the days of Strabo, the marshes on the 
coast rendered that part of the country unhealthy. 
These must gradually have encroached on the interior, 
their poisonous exhalations been borne farther and 
farther by the sea-breeze, and the evil of course gone 
on more rapidly, when a place became uninhabited. 
Now the Campagna was wasted by successive hordes of 
invaders to the very walls of Rome. We can see to this 
day the traces of their progress. The northern side of 
the city, from which direction they came, is more ruin- 
ous than the rest, while the antiquities on the southern 
part are in the best preservation. When, therefore, 
the population was driven within the walls, and the 
open country became deserted, a few seasons would 
transform all without into a desolate wilderness, and 
then the rank herbage would gradually conceal the 
ruins. 

And so it has remained for centuries, becoming each 
age more dreary, and, except the tombs, and here and 
there a mound of loose stones, there are no traces of the 

1 Lib. iv. 2 An. lib. xi. c. 25. 



14 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

nations which once inhabited those extensive tracts. 
In winter, you may see upon it thousands of the large 
gray Tuscan oxen, with their mild eyes and long 
horns ; the descendants of the white cattle of whom 
Virgil speaks. At intervals, a herdsman, one of the 
gaunt massari^ is watching them, and in his picturesque 
costume — a broad hat flapped over the eyes, sheep- 
skin cloak, and carrying a long lance, while the gun is 
sluno; at his side — he seems wilder even than the 
fiery horse on which he dashes about. Vast herds 
of buffkloes, too, of a dingy color, introduced from 
foreign lands into Tuscany by Lorenzo de Medici, 
but since naturalized all over Italy, roam on the 
Campagna, and with their wild, red eye, bent neck, 
and lowering aspect, they seem to w^arn the passerr-by 
not to approach too near their short curved horns. 

But when the summer comes, the cattle are driven to 
the pastures of the Sabine hills, or even the more dis- 
tant mountains of the Abruzzi. Then each day the heat 
increases, until the air seems like a sea of fire. Even 
the shade of night brings no relief, and the only breeze 
which blows through the sultry atmosphere is the hot 
sirocco. The grass is burnt up, the stagnant water in- 
fects the air, and even the Tiber seems to have shrunk 
from its banks to half its usual breadth. No cloud, no 
rain, no cooling wind ; nothing but the hot rays of the 
sun beating down on the parched ground. Every 
breath from the sulphurous atmosphere seems to kindle 
a scorching fever in the blood, and the wild buffaloes 
are roused to madness by the myriads of stinging in- 
sects w^hich swarm the heated air. Thus for months 
on the wnde Campagna, life seems almost insupportable. 
But even at this season, when the heats are so terrific 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 15 

and the malaria is most deadly, there are materials 
there from which death can reap his harvest. About 
once in four years certain portions of this desolate tract 
are planted, and the summer is the time of harvest. 
" The peasants from the Volscian hills, and from be- 
yond the frontier, come down into the plain to earn a 
few crowns for the ensuing winter ; they work in the 
harvest-field all day under a scorchinp; sun, and at 
night sleep on the damp earth, from which the low, 
heavy vapor of the pestilent malaria begins to rise at 
sunset. Even the strongest and healthiest are often 
struck down in a single week : before the harvest is 
gathered in, hundreds of hardy mountaineers have per- 
ished on the plain, and those who survive either die on 
their return home or bear the mark of the pestilence 
for life." Such is the Campagna, which has usurped 
the place where the busy thousands of Imperial Rome 
once dwelt. How invaluable to us would be a view of 
the city as it was in those its palmy days ! Charle- 
magne, we are told, had " faire silver tables " made, on 
which were engravings of Constantinople and Rome, 
The one which contained the plan of Rome was given 
by him to the Church of Ravenna. If this could be 
recovered, what a treasure would it be to the historical 
student ! 

But let us resume the map and continue our view. 
Beyond the Campagna rises the chain of richly wooded 
mountains of which we have already spoken. But of 
what changing scenes have those heights been the 
mute observers, since first the land around them lay 
silent and untenanted, when the waters of the deluge 
had gone ! They beheld one race after another come 
from the East, and strange rites and sacrifices per- 



16 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

formed on those Seven Hills, and the wide plain be- 
tween. The Etruscans laid deep their massive archi- 
tecture, and then passed away so entirely that even 
their language has perished, and the inscriptions they 
recorded on the solid rock, later generations cannot in- 
terpret. Then came a wilder race, which gradually 
rose to power, until the Roman name filled the earth. 
One by one their enemies fell before them. On that 
long ridge once stood Alba Longa, whose ruin Livy has 
immortalized. There dwelt the Samnites, and that 
little stream, the Anio, which still goes murmuring on 
its way to join the Tiber on the plain, then separated 
their country from Latium. The Gauls came, and 
on that crest of rocks is the Arx Libana of Livy, to 
which they were driven back when attacking the city. 
The Carthaginians, too, entered the arena of conflict ; 
and there, to the left of the Alban Mount, is still 
pointed out the small, open plain, on which they were 
encamped while they besieged Rome. What con- 
sternation must have been felt around the Capitoline 
Hill, while these events were going on ! What noise 
and busy note of preparation were heard, as the armed 
legions of Rome marched do\vn its sides, and went 
forth to fight for their homes and altars ! How dif- 
ferent from the stillness which now rests upon this 
spot, where nothing is seen but these old and hoary 
ruins. 

But all these nations were crushed beneath the iron 
tread of the conquerors. Then the whole landscape 
became crowded with works of art. The inhabitants 
of the city crossed the wide Campagna, and even the 
Sabine hills were transformed into the seats of Roman 
luxury. Every valley and peak was consecrated by 



THE CHRISTMAS HO L YD AYS IN ROME. 17 

Roman genius. That lofty mountain in the dim dis- 
tance, now covered with snow and so dazzling white 
as the sunbeams play upon it, Horace celebrated as the 
" gelidus Algidus." That height he speaks of as " Lu- 
cre tilis ; " and that opening of the plain between the 
hills is his '' frigidum Praeneste." How often, too, in 
his lyrics, does he sing the beauties of the ancient 
Tibur ; that little place which you can just perceive 
almost buried in its woods and olive groves ! 

Cicero has also left his name associated with those 
hills, for there was the site of his far-famed Tusculum. 
He purchased the villa, which had once belonged to 
Sylla the Dictator, filled it with all the magnificence 
which art in that age of luxury could devise, and to 
its library — adorned, we are told, with statues of the 
Muses — or to the cool groves which surrounded it, he 
retired from the strife of the busy city. From its 
noble portico he could look over the wide landscape, 
until the view was terminated by the splendors of 
Rome itself; and here he has laid the scene of some 
of his philosophical works, the " De Divinatione," and 
the " Tusculan Questions." Beyond his retreat, on the 
highest point in the chain of hills, was the sacred grove 
of the Alban Mount ; and towering above it, in sight 
not only of the surrounding country but of Rome itself, 
stood the magnificent Temple of Jupiter Latiaris. How 
often must the patriot and consul have turned to it 
with the deepest reverence ! There, once in each 
year, the Latin tribes assembled to hold their sacred 
festival, and together they offered common sacrifice to 
the tutelar deity of the nation.^ The Roman generals 

1 Eustace, Class. Tour. vii. p. 94. 
2 



18 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

repaired thitlier in the hour of their triumph, to return 
thanks for victory ; and on one occasion, when Cicero 
himself was pleading for Milo, he turned his eyes to 
that temple, in full view from where he stood in the 
Forum, and burst forth vv^ith the eloquent apostrophe, 
'' Tuque ex tuo edito monte, Latiaris Sancte Jupiter, 
cujus ille lacus nemora finesque," etc. From that 
mount, too, Virgil represents the Queen of Heaven as 
watching the changing fortunes of the battle, when 
the Latin and Trojan forces were arrayed on the plain 
beneath. With new interest, indeed, we read the last 
books of the ^neid, when we have before us the hills, 
the groves, the winding Tiber ; the very scenes which 
the poet has there described. 

Thus it is that the spirit of the past broods over 
every portion of this haunted land. Men may change, 
one race after another pass away, the very monuments 
they have left perish ; yet still the features of nature 
remain the same. The mountains are there, and the 
streams, and the Seven Hills, and the wide plains, into 
whose bosom, through the silent lapse of centuries, the 
ancient cities have gradually been sinking, until now the 
Spring, with her flowery veil, conceals their ruins en- 
tirely from our eyes. The valleys are unaltered, and 
the cliffs look down upon them as of old, except that 
the long ages as they went by have written there the 
chronicles of their flight. These pass not away, and, 
therefore, every old historic association can find its 
home. And so it is in every part of this land, which 
Poetry has consecrated and made her own. The 
very forms of vegetable life, the trees and fragile 
flowers, carry us back two thousand years into the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 19 

bosom of the past. The ilex yet waves upon the 
heights of Mount Alburnus, as when Virgil wrote his 
Georgics ; about the site of Tusculum. the plane-tree 
blooms as luxuriantly as it did when Cicero, in his 
introduction to '' De Oratore," speaks of its " over- 
shadowing the spot with its spreading boughs ; " and 
twice in each year, when May and December come 
round, " the roses with their double Spring " (hiferi 
rosaria Pcesti) still blossom among the ruined temples 
of Psestum, with that renewing sweetness which at- 
tracted the attention of Ovid, and furnished a beauti- 
ful simile to grace the writings of Propertius. 

The last few pages have scarcely enumerated the 
objects of interest which crowd upon us, as we gaze 
this morning from the lofty tower of the Palace of the 
Senator. To the reader they may, perchance, present 
only a dull catalogue of names ; but to us, with the 
scenes themselves before our eyes, there is a life and a 
reality in everything. From the cloudy past, twenty- 
five centuries rise up to meet us, as we look upon those 
places which are '^ familiar in our mouths as household 
words." It is at such times, too, that the spirit of 
our own early days returns, and passages of Virgil and 
Horace, which we studied at the school-desk, call up 
again the friendships of our boyhood. The present is 
forgotten. The weary cares of manhood fade away, 
and '' the heat and burden " beneath which we are now 
laboring, is unfelt. The Spring of life returns in all its 
freshness. Friends, whose faces we can never more 
see in the flesh, gather about ; familiar voices fall upon 
the ear with a startling distinctness ; and scarcely real- 
izing that all this is only of the imagination, we bless 



20 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

the associations which can produce the change. For a 
brief and sunnv interval we even doubt the truth of 
that melancholy song of the German students, — 

— " the gladness of our youthful prime, — 
It cometh not again, — that golden time ! '* 




CHAPTER III. 



ST. Peter's church. 




HE first thought in Rome is of St. Peter's. 
We have, of course, often been there, for 
when there is nothing else immediately to 
occupy our attention, we can repair to this 
mighty temple, and find a subject for study which is in- 
exhaustible. Instead, however, of vainly attempting a 
description — for every effort of this kind for centuries 
has proved that no words can give any idea of this un- 
rivaled edifice — we would rather note down a few of 
the impressions left upon the mind. 

The way which led to it was through a series of 
narrow, winding streets, crowded with a miserable 
population, deeply demoralized, and crushed to the 
earth by indigence. At length we reached the Castle 
of St. Angelo, and from this spot a broad avenue opened 
before us to the massive colonnades of St. Peter's. 
Our first view of the exterior by daylight disappointed 
us, for when seen from this point it is certainly not 
imposing. The facade is allowed to be disproportioned 
to the building, and too much conceals the dome. We 
have since examined, in the library of the Vatican, a 
copy of Michael Angelo's original plan, in which this 
defect is avoided, and the whole fi:'ont appears more 
grand and striking. His drawing of the fa5ade closely 
resembles the portico of the Pantheon. 



22 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

In the open square in front, stands an ancient obelisk, 
which points up to heaven, tapering away as if it seemed 
to lose itself in the air. Caligula brought it from 
'' old hushed Egypt " to adorn his baths, and a Pope 
placed it in front of St. Peter's. On each side of it is 
a fountain, which flings up its column of water, as if 
into the clouds, where it seems to pause for a moment, 
reflecting back the changing colors of the sky, and then 
falling into its porphyry basin, the thousand hues are 
lost in one dazzling sheet of foam. But who pauses to 
dwell on these when the temple itself is before them ! 
We ascend the broad marble steps, put aside the 
heavy curtain which veils the entrance, and the sen- 
sations of the next few minutes are worth a year of 
commonplace life. 

The first effect on every one must be bewildering. 
He sees gathered before him treasures of art of which 
before he could scarcely have conceived, and all en- 
shrined in a building which mocks any comparison with 
the gorgeous Temple of Jerusalem, or those magnificent 
fanes which the worshippers of the old mythology raised 
to their fabled deities. For more than three centuries, 
the energies and wealth of thirty-five Pontiffs were 
devoted to this work, and the aid of the whole Chris- 
tian world was invoked to render it a temple worthy 
of the Most High. Eustace estimates that the build- 
ing itself cost twelve millions sterling. Everywhere, 
indeed, we see marbles, bronzes, and precious materials, 
which were gathered in Rome during the luxurious 
days of the Empire, but are nowhere else to be found 
in such profusion. We realize, indeed, that here man 
has exhausted the treasures of his genius and his 
worldly wealth. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 23 

Almost every traveller states that his first impres- 
sions were those of disappointment. The interior did 
not appear as vast as he expected. The reason of this, 
undoubtedly, is, because we have no received expe- 
rience by which to judge its proportions. The eyes 
are " fools of the senses ; " and here occurs a case in 
which they have not been trained to convey a correct 
estimate.^ But with me, I confess, this was not the 
case. Having been told so often that I should be dis- 
appointed, I was prepared for it, and, therefore, ex- 
pected too little. Slowly we passed up the nave, until 
we found ourselves opposite to the High Altar. Above 
it rises a canopy, more than a hundred and thirty feet 
in height, its twisted columns of Corinthian brass 
covered with golden foliage, while beneath rests the 
body of St. Peter, around whose tomb a hundred lamps 
are burning day and night. We stand under the dome 
and look up, w^hen an abyss seems to open above us. 
We can scarcely believe that its top is four hundred 
feet fi'om the marble pavement. The inscription on 
the frieze does not seem very large, yet each letter is 
six feet high, and the pen in the hand of St. Mark is of 
the same length, although fi'om where we stand the 
whole figure of the saint does not appear to be much 
beyond the ordinary stature. The mighty dome ex- 

1 "Our outward sense 
Is but of gradual grasp — and as it is 
That what we have of feeling most intense 
Outstrips our faint expression ; even so this 
Outshining and o'erwhelming edifice 
Fools our fond gaze, and greatest of the great, 
Defies at first our nature's littleness, 
Till growing with its growth, we thus dilate 
Our spirits to the size of that they contemplate." 

Childe Harold. 



24 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

pands above us like the firmament, and within are 
pictured in rich mosaic the saints and celestial spirits 
looking upward and worshipping towards the throne 
of the Eternal, which, encircled with radiance, crowns 
this dizzy height. 

At our first visit we spent almost the whole day 
going over each part in detail, and every little while 
stopping, and vainly endeavoring by one effort of the 
mind to grasp the mighty proportions of the building. 
The figures which occasionally moved across the mar- 
ble pavement seemed dwarfed into pigmies, and we 
could scarcely realize that this vast structure, with its 
gorgeous profusion of paintings, and marbles, and gild- 
ing, could have been erected by those who, in com- 
parison, appeared so insignificant. This Church has, 
indeed, a spirit within it, which is possessed by none 
other that we have ever entered. It is sufficient to 
preserve a faith in existence centuries after its life has 
gone. 

The very temperature of the building is remarkable, 
being always uniform ; mild and pleasant in winter, 
and cool in summer, when the heat of the sun is so 
intense above as almost to melt the lead. Professor 
Playfair accounts for it on the supposition, that the 
immense edifice absorbs so much heat during the sum- 
mer, that it never wholly discharges it throughout the 
winter. However this may be, the atmosphere is 
always delightful ; no damp air is perceived ; nothing 
but the slight perfume of the incense which is wafted 
from some side chapel where service is performing. 

We passed around, and wandered from aisle to aisle, 
and from chapel to chapel, finding on all sides the same 
lavish magnificence. Everything is in perfect keep- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 25 

ing, the statues themselves being gigantic to harmo- 
nize with the building. Around us were the gorgeous 
monuments of the Popes, on which the ablest sculptors 
of the last three centuries had exhausted their skill : 
the masterpiece of Canova, erected to the memory of 
Clement XIII., with its Genius of Death, holding the 
inverted torch, and the sleeping lion below, the finest 
efforts of the modern chisel ; and the marble group of the 
Virgin supporting " The Dead Christ," a most touch- 
ing work, which first established the fame of Michael 
Angelo. There was one before which we particularly- 
paused, because it bore, sculptured on the enduring 
marble, so plain a record of the high-handed oppression 
of the Papal power during the Middle Ages. It was 
the tomb of the celebrated Countess Matilda, who, in 
the days of Hildebrand, was the powerful ally of the 
Church, bequeathing to it also at her death her valu- 
able patrimony in Tuscany, a portion of which is still 
held by the Papal See. Living in the very crisis of 
that conflict between the feudal system and the power 
of the Church, so well did she aid the latter in gaining 
its triumph, that she deserved her burial-place in its 
noblest temple. Five centuries after her death. Urban 
VIII. removed her body from the Benedictine Monas- 
tery, near Mantua, and deposited it beneath this stately 
monument. Does that statue, which Bernini has 
placed above her tomb, represent her as she was in 
her living day ? We may believe so, for it embodies 
our own idea of that stern woman, as she sits there 
frowning in the marble, holding in her hands the keys 
and the Papal tiara. But it is on the sides of the 
sarcophagus^ below, that we see portrayed the scene 
she aided to brinor about, and which she considered her 
chief glory. 



26 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

When Henry, the young Emperor of Germany, had 
been excommunicated by Gregory VII., to obtain an 
interview with his rival and rescue himself from the 
anathema, he was obhged to cross the Alps in the 
depth of winter, over fields and precipices of ice which 
could only be traversed on foot. His object was, to 
throw himself at the Pontiff's feet and obtain absolu- 
tion ; but he found this spiritual autocrat in Matilda's 
strong mountain fortress of Canossa in the Apennines, 
and for a time every avenue was barred against him. 
At length Gregory consented that the Emperor should 
enter the fortress in the garb of a penitent, to receive 
his sentence. Then was witnessed, what we may well 
consider the most extraordinary scene in the annals of 
the Papacy. It was on a morning in January, 1077, 
when the cold was intense, the mountain streams 
frozen, and the ground white with snow, that earth's 
greatest monarch of that day was seen, barefooted, and 
clothed only in a thin linen penitential garment, toiling 
mournfully and alone up to the rocky castle of Canossa. 
He passed two gateways, but found the third closed 
against him. It was at sunrise that he appeared in 
this humiliating state, and there he remained hour 
after hour, cold and faint, the object of wonder to the 
crowds which had gathered to the spectacle. But the 
gates opened not, and at sunset he was forced to retire, 
the object of his bitter penance still unaccomplished. 
Again the dawning day found him at his post, humbled 
and dispirited, while within the castle the proud Pontiff 
who was trampling him to the ground, held his regal 
court with princes gathered around him. Yet the 
second day passed like the first, and the third followed 
it, while the wretched king was suing in vain for ad- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 27 

mittance, and Gregory was prolonging, what has been 
well termed, '' this profane and hollow parody on the 
real workings of the broken and contrite heart." But 
human endurance could bear it no longer, and the 
monarch rushed from this scene of suffering to a 
neighboring chapel, to beseech on his knees the in- 
tercession of his kinswoman Matilda, and the venerable 
Abbot of Cluni, For several days all within the castle, 
even with tears, had entreated the Pope to end this 
painful scene, and reproaches of wanton tyranny were 
heard from his own adherents ; but he remained inex- 
orable. At length, when Henry had reached the 
fourth day of his penance, Gregory consented that, 
still barefooted and in his penitential garment, he 
should be brought into his presence. 

This is the point of time which the artist has chosen. 
The youthful King — for he was only twenty-six — re- 
duced at last to vassalage to the Church — his fiery 
spirit utterly crushed by the misery of the last three 
days, and the shame that weighed him down — 
crouches abjectly at the feet of his oppressor, as if 
submitting his neck to be trodden on. The Italian 
Court are around, the witnesses of his degradation, 
while above him stands Gregory, proud and haughty 
in his mien, — the very incarnation of mitred tyranny. 
Matilda is there, rejoicing in her kinsman's indignities ; 
and Hugh, the Abbot of Cluni, who had administered 
to Henry in his infancy the rite of baptism ; and Azzo, 
Marquis of Este ; and Adelaide of Susa, and her son, 
Amadeus, all calmly beholding these acts of spiritual 
despotism and relentless severity, performed by one 
claimino; to be the Vicar of Him who was " meek and 
lowly of heart." 



28 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

Is this a scene which it is well to perpetuate in the 
unchanging marble ? On one occasion at least it would 
have been better for the Papal power if this record of 
its triumph had not been quite so prominent. We are 
told, that on the visit of the Emperor Joseph II. to St. 
Peter's, when he came to this monument, he regarded 
it for a moment with fixed attention, and then turned 
away with a blush of indignation and a bitter smile. 
We all know the Kaiser's future course ; but might 
not the remembrance of that hour in St. Peter's have 
strengthened his purpose of a philosophical reforma- 
tion, to depress and curb, in his own dominions, a 
, power which could become so tyrannous ? 

" There is but one painting in St. Peter's : see if 
you can find it ! " said a friend to me the day before 
our first visit. As we looked round the Church, his 
words recurred to us, and we wondered what he could 
have meant. There was an immense picture over 
every altar, and in every chapel, and we recognized 
copies of the noblest masterpieces on sacred subjects. 
'It was not until we had been there some hours, that we 
discovered, with one exception, they were mosiacs, — 
the colors, and lights, and shades being all so admirably 
imitated, that they rival the choicest works of the pen- 
cil. And probably centuries after the hues on the 
canvas have faded, these brilliant copies will preserve 
to the world a true record of the artist's genius. Time 
has already wrought its changes in the " Transfigura- 
tion " of Raphael ; yet here is a duplicate in the un- 
changing stone, which even now begins to convey a 
truer idea of that great painter's conception, than the 
much cherished original in the Vatican. How deeply is 
it to be regretted, that among them we have not Da 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 29 

Vinci's " Last Supper," which exists now only as a fresco 
at Milan, the damp fast obliterating its colors, so that 
to the next generation its beauty will be entirely gone ! 
''How long will that picture last?" Napoleon once 
asked, as he was looking at a beautiful painting. '' Per- 
haps five hundred years," was the answer. '' And 
such," said the Emperor, with a smile of scorn, '' is a 
painter's immortality ! " The builders of this magnifi- 
cent pile seem to have shared these feelings, and to 
have determined that nothing should be here which, in 
the lapse of time, might perish. 

But in the wide transepts is a sight which cannot 
but arrest the attention of every one who is sighing for 
Catholic Unity, and remind him of those days when 
every nation acknowledged the same faith, and with 
one voice professed the same creed. There are ar- 
ranged the boxes for the confessional, in every lan- 
guage. Not only are those of Europe to be seen 
inscribed over these places, but also its various dialects, 
and the strange tongues of the East. Thus, the wan- 
derer from every land, who worships in these rites, be- 
holds provision made for his spiritual wants. " There 
IS one spot where the pilgrim always finds his home. 
We are all one people when we come before the Altar 
of the Lord." ^ Such are represented as the words of 
Marco Polo, in the thirteenth century, and here, to the 
member of the Church of Rome, they are reahzed. 
He comes to what he regards as the Mother Church 
of Christendom, and learns that he is not a stranger or 
an alien. He can unburden himself to a priest of his 
own land, and the consolations of his faith are doubly 
sweet, when conveyed to him in the familiar words of 

1 Sir Francis Palgrave's Merchant and Friar ^ p. 138. 



30 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

'' his own tongue, wherein he was born." With the 
errors of Rome, we have no sympathy ; we feel and 
reahze how much she has fallen from the simplicity of 
the faith ; yet Catholic traits like this, none but the 
most prejudiced can refuse to admire. They show the 
far-reaching wisdom of that Church ; that overlooking 
the distinctions of climate and country, and recognizing 
her field of labor to extend wherever there is a de- 
graded being to listen to her message, she is resolute 
to '' inherit the earth." 

But this vast edifice is never filled, not even, we are 
told, upon the coronation of a Pope. It is only, in- 
deed, on a few great festivals that service is performed 
in the body of the Church, for ordinarily one of the side 
chapels is used, and the High Altar stands lonely and 
deserted. Even Eustace, though a priest of the 
Church, inquires why " the Pontiff, surrounded by 
his clergy, does not himself perform every Sunday the 
solemn duties of his station, presiding in person over 
the assembly, instructing his flock, like the Leos and 
Gregorys of ancient times, with his own voice, and 
with his own hands administering to them ' the bread 
of life,' and ' the cup of salvation ? ' " Such a sight 
would indeed be one both affecting and sublime. 

There is much, however, to detract from our pleasure 
in the survey of this unrivaled temple. The very in- 
scription on the front, instead of dedicating it to Him 
who alone should be worshipped here, states that it is 
consecrated by Paul V., In honorem principis apos- 
TOLORUM. We pause to inspect the bas-reliefs on the 
magnificent bronze doors, and are transported back to 
the days of heathenism. The artist drew his inspira- 
tion fi'om no source more hallowed than the " Metamor- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 31 

phoses" of Ovid ; and Ganymede and the Eagle, with 
Leda and the Swan — the latter group more spirited 
than chaste — figure on the doors of this Christian 
temple. Advance to the High Altar, and near it, on 
a pedestal about four feet high, stands an old bronze 
statue, which the skeptical antiquary will tell you was 
once a Jupiter, by a slight change transformed into an 
undoubted St. Peter. However this may be, it is now 
a mere instrument of superstition, and through the 
whole day crowds may be seen kneeling before it in 
earnest prayer. Their devotions ended, they approach, 
kiss the extended foot, — which is almost worn off by 
this constant friction, — press their foreheads to it, and 
the process is ended. Has the Romanist any reason to 
laugh at the poor Mussulman, who performs a pilgrim- 
age to Mecca, to kiss the black stone of the Caaba ? 
On St. Peter's day this image is clothed in magnificent 
robes ; the gemmed tiara placed upon its head ; the 
jeweled collar around its neck ; soldiers are stationed 
by its side, and lighted candles burning about it. A 
clergyman of the Church of England, who was present 
on this occasion last year, told me that the effect of 
the black image thus arrayed was perfectly ludicrous ; 
and with the people all kneeling before it, had he not 
known he was in a Christian Church, he should have 
supposed himself in a heathen temple, and that, the 
idol. 

In the massive columns which support the dome, are 
preserved some holy relics, which are only shown with 
much ceremony fi:om a high balcony, during Passion 
Week. A portion of the true Cross, the head of St. 
Andrew, the lance of St. Longinus (with which our 
Saviour was pierced), and the Sudarium^ or handker- 



32 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

chief, containing the impression of our Lord's features, 
form a part of this sacred treasury. Unfortunately, 
there are divers other lances of similar pretensions, — 
one at Nuremberg, and another in Armenia. With the 
Sudarium it is still worse, there being six rival ones 
shown in different places, namely, Turin, Milan, Cadoin 
in Perigort,Besan9on, Compi^gne, and Aix-la-Chapelle ; 
while that at Cadoin has fourteen bulls to declare it 
genuine, and that at Turin four. The learned, how- 
ever, solve the difficulty by saying, that the handker- 
chief applied to our Lord's face consisted of several 
folds, consequently the impression of the countenance 
went through them all, and they are all genuine ! ^ 

One more item, and I have done with this disagree- 
able portion of the subject. Pass the High Altar, and 
at the farther extremity of the Church is a magnificent 
throne of bronze and gilt, surmounted by a canopy, and 
supported by four colossal gilt figures of St. Augustine, 
St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, and St. Athanasius. 
Within is a chair, which tradition tells us is the 
identical one in which St. Peter sat when he offici- 
ated as Bishop of Rome. Some twenty years ago, 
Lady Morgan gave to the world another story of this 
wonderful relic. She states that when the French held 
Rome, their sacrilegious curiosity induced them to 
break through the splendid casket for the purpose of 
seeing the sacred chair. Upon its mouldering and 
dusty surface were traced carvings, which bore the 
appearance of letters. The chair was quickly brought 
into a better light, the dust and cobwebs removed, and 
the inscription faithfully copied. The writing is in 
Arabic characters, and is the well known confession of 

1 Burton's Rome, vol. ii. p. 156. 



THE CHRISTMAS HO L YD AYS IN ROME, 33 

Mahometan faith, — " There is but one God, and Ma- 
homet is his prophet." The story, she adds, has since 
been hushed up, the chair replaced, and none but the 
unhallowed remember the fact, and none but the 
audacious repeat it.^ Dr. Wiseman takes miladi to 
task with great severity, and asserts that it is an 
ancient curule chair, evidently of Roman workmanship, 
and may therefore reasonably be supposed to have been 
used as an Episcopal throne when St. Peter was re- 
ceived into the house of the Senator Pudens at Rome. 
The truth probably is, that it was brought from the 
East among the spoils of the Crusaders ; presented to 
St. Peter's at a time when antiquarian research was 
not much in fashion ; and now, its origin has been for- 
gotten. 

But to continue the account of our visit. The hours 
went by, and we could not leave this spot which had 
been thought and dreamed of for so many years. We 
realized the feelings of the imaginative author of 
Vathek, when he wrote, " I wish his Holiness would 
allow me to erect a little tabernacle within this glorious 
temple. I should desire no other prospect during the 
winter ; no other sky than the vast arches glowing 
with golden ornaments, so lofty as to lose all glitter or 
gaudiness. We would take our evening walks on the 
field of marble ; for is not the pavement vast enough 
for the extravagance of this appellation ? Sometimes, 
instead of climbing a mountain, we should ascend the 
cupola, and look down on our little encampment below. 
At night I should wish for a constellation of lamps dis- 
persed about in clusters, and so contrived as to diffuse 
a mild and equal light. Music should not be wanted : 

1 Italy, vol. ii. p. 227. 
3 



34 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

at one time to breathe in the subterranean chapels, at 
another to echo through the dome." 

But the melody which Beckford desired, we were 
soon to hear. A side door opened ; forth came a pro- 
cession, — a Cardinal and long array of priests, — and 
we followed them to see what service was at hand. 
They swept across the Church, paused for a moment in 
tlie centre, and sunk upon their knees, with their faces 
turned to the High Altar, and then entered the chapel 
called the Capella del Coro. It was the hour for Ves- 
pers, which at once commenced. There were perhaps 
twenty in the choir, by whom the principal part of the 
service was performed, while nearly two hundred more 
— prebendaries, canons, clerks, and choristers — were 
seated in the chapel, and joined in the responsive parts. 
It was the first time we had heard the Pope's choir, so 
celebrated throughout the world, and yet our expecta- 
tions were more than realized. They still use those 
old austere chants of surpassing beauty, which have 
been handed down to them through centuries, — the 
Lydian and Phrygian tunes, first introduced into the 
Western churches by St. Ambrose. St. Augustine 
listened to them in the Church of Milan, when he re- 
presents himself as being melted to tears, and even 
expressed the fear lest such harmonious airs might be 
too tender for the manly spirit of Christian devotion.^ 

1 •' Sometimes, from over jealousy, I would entirely put from me and from 
the Church the melodies of the sweet chants which we use in the Psalter, 
lest our ears seduce us ; and the way of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 
seems the safer; who, as I have often heard, made the reader chant with so 
slight a change of note, that it was more like speaking than singing. And 
yet, when I call to mind the tears I shed when I heard the chants of Thy 
Church in the infancy of my recovered faith, and reflect that at this time I 
am affected, not by the mere music, but by the subject, brought out, as it is, 
by clear voices and appropriate tune; then, in turn, I confess how useful is 
the practice." — Confessions ^jl. 50. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 35 

Mingled with these were the richer Roman chants 
which were collected by Gregory the Great, and bear 
his name. They sang the Psalms for the evening, and 
I rejoiced that I knew they were uttering inspired 
words ; for the music, as it swept by us in a perfect 
flood of harmony, seemed too sweet and heavenly to be 
addressed to any but God alone. The organ mingled 
its rich, mellow tones wdth the voices which were thus 
pouring out their melody ; sweet incense filled the 
chapel as they flung high their golden censers; and 
we remained listening to the delicious sounds, until the 
whole was over, and the procession once more took its 
way through the Church. 

As we followed them out, we found the sun was set- 
ting, and we stayed to watch the effect of the gathering 
darkness. The Church was untenanted, save by some 
solitary worshipper kneeling apart, and no sound was 
heard except now and then the light tread of a sacris- 
tan as he crossed the marble pavement. Gradually the 
shadows deepened ; the building appeared more vast 
and solemn ; the hundred lights which are ever burn- 
ing around the tomb of St. Peter seemed like distant, 
twinkling stars ; the statues on the monuments grew 
more wan and phantom-like ; and we departed, repeat- 
ing to ourselves those striking lines of the pilgrim 
poet : — 

" But thou, of temples old, or altars new, 
Standest alone — with nothing like to thee — 
Worthiest of God, the holy and the true; 
Since Zion's desolation, when that He 
Forsook His former city, what could be, 
Of earthly structures, in His honor piled, 
Of a sublimer aspect? Majesty, 
Power, glory, strength, and beauty — all are aisled 
In this eternal ark of worship undefiled." 



36 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Yesterday it rained, and the sun this morning rose 
with that cloudless beauty which is so often seen when 
the atmosphere has just been cleared by a storm. The 
air was perfectly still and clear, and we determined to 
avail ourselves of the opportunity to ascend the dome 
of the Church. Having procured the necessary permit 
from the Cardinal Secretary of State, we were admitted, 
and commenced the ascent by a broad stone staircase, 
so slightly inclined that mules walk up it with their 
loads. After a time it narrows, and winds around be- 
tween the inner and outer domes, until passing through 
a door, we find ourselves on a light gallery in the in- 
terior, more than three hundred feet above the pave- 
ment. The brain becomes dizzy as we look down, and 
see men appearing like insects crawling far below. 
The mosaic pictures which line the dome, and from 
the pavement looked so fair and beautifully shaded, 
here seem coarse, and the figures are gigantic. No- 
where else can we realize the unparalleled vastness of 
this edifice, and for a time we stood and looked down 
in silence, while from one of the side chapels there 
came faintly and fitfully the swell of voices and the 
music of the organ, as some priests were performing 
there the mornins; service. 

From thence we ascended to the exterior gallery on 
the top of the dome. Here was spread out before us 
the same glorious prospect which we had already seen 
from the Senator's Tower on the Capitoline Hill. The 
morning sun was pouring down its beams, flooding the 
whole landscape with brightness. White, fleecy clouds 
still lingered about the distant Apennines, while a line 
of mist stretching far over the Campagna, showed the 
course of the Tiber. There, everything spoke of re- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 37 

pose and desolation, and the country spread out like a 
prairie with none to occupy it. We felt, as did Rogers, 
when he asked, — 

*' Have none appeared as tillers.of the ground, 
None since they went — as tho' it still were theirs, 
And they might come and claim their own again ? 
Was the last plough a Roman's? " 

Below us were the formal gardens of the Pope, with 
their sparkling fountains, and orange groves loaded 
with fruit; while a palm-tree growing near, and the 
stony pines, with their flat, dark tops dispersed about, 
seemed to increase the oriental illusion of the scene. 
We walked over the stone roof of this mighty building, 
which covers an extent of several acres. How strange 
it seems to find at this dizzy height the habitations of 
human beings ! Yet here are the houses of the work- 
men who are always employed in the repairs of the 
edifice, so that we seem to be in the midst of a little 
village. A fountain, too, is playing by our side, throw- 
ing its water into a marble basin ; and while the lofty 
parapet cuts off all view beyond, we can scarcely realize 
that we are not treading on the ground. About us 
were traces of countless pilgrims, who during the last 
two centuries had climbed to the same lofty elevation, 
and left there their names and the dates of their visits. 
Among them was an Italian name carved deeply into 
one of the bronze balls of the railing around the gal- 
lery, with the date 1627. Perhaps this is the only 
trace the individual has left of his existence on the 
earth. 

From this highest gallery at the foot of the stem 
which supports the ball and cross, a small iron ladder 
enables visitors to ascend into the ball itself. It is of 



38 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

bronze gilt, seven and a half feet in diameter, and will 
accommodate a small party. There is something, how- 
ever, in the idea of being inclosed in a ball four hun- 
dred and thirty feet from the ground, which gives the 
visitor an uneasy feeling. It seems to vibrate and 
tremble ; he remembers how small is the metal stem 
which sustains it ; and being, in addition, almost roasted 
by the rays of the sun on the thin copper, he is gener- 
ally contented with a very short sojourn at this aerial 
height. Instead of a cross, the ball was once sur- 
mounted by a large pine of bronze, which had before 
ornamented the top of the tomb of Hadrian. Being 
thrown from St. Peter's by lightning, it was transferred 
to the gardens of the Vatican, where it now stands by 
the side of the great Corridor of Belvidere. It was 
here in the days of Dante, for when describing one of 
the monsters in the Inferno, he says, — 

" His visage seem'd 
In length and bulk, as doth the pine that tops 
St. Peter's Roman fane." 

We descended again to the church, and finding one 
of the sacristans, proceeded to visit the crj^ts beneath 
it. He conducted us down a stairs under one of the 
side altars, and at its foot, fixed in the wall, is a marble 
slab, the inscription on which states that females are not 
permitted to descend into these vaults except on Whit- 
sunday, — on which day men are excluded, — and if 
any infringe this regulation, they are anathematized. 
The reason of this absurd rule we could not discover. 
We have here below us, probably, the most ancient 
church pavement in existence ; for when the present 
sumptuous temple was erected over the first church, the 
pavement was left untouched. This spot, indeed, was 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 39 

chosen by Constaiitine for the first rehgious edifice he 
erected, because it was a part of the Circus of Nero, 
and consecrated by the blood of numberless martyrs 
who were slaughtered in the arena. 

Immediately below the High Altar is what is called 
the tomb of St. Peter. As we stood beside it, we 
thought what would be the feelings of the humble 
fisherman of Galilee, could he rise from his martyr- 
grave, wherever it may be, and behold the gorgeous 
ceremonies of the temple which is called by his name. 
The purity of the faith for which he died, perverted ; 
the simplicity of ancient worship deformed by countless 
rites, partaking of the '' pride and pomp and circum- 
stance " of Pagan rituals ; the gospel mingled up 
with strange legends from the old mythology ; his 
own name, which he onlv wished to be '' written in 
heaven," now exalted above all human fame, and made 
an argument for blinding superstition, — how would his 
lofty rebuke startle the thousands kneeling here, and 
echo even through the halls of the Vatican, as he sum- 
moned all away from the " cunningly-devised fables " 
which are taught in this glorious shrine, to those 
changeless and immutable truths which are to last 
while '' eternity grows gray ! " 

As we passed around, we beheld on all sides small 
chapels where lights are kept ever burning, and which 
are regarded as places of peculiar sanctity. Wherever 
we turned, we saw the tombs of those who for their ser- 
vices in the cause of the Church, or their extraordinary 
hoHness, had been thought worthy of a resting-place in 
this unequaled temple. Here, covered with bass-reliefs, 
to illustrate Scripture history, is the rich sarcophagus 
of Junius Bassus, Prefect of Rome, who died a. d. 359. 



40 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

Here He buried, Otho II. of Germany ; Charlotte, 
Queen of Jerusalem and Cyprus ; the last members 
of the royal family of Stuart, and many of the Popes. 
Unlike most vaults of the kind, there is no dampness in 
the atmosphere, nor that chilliness which speaks so 
plainly of the grave ; and it seemed as if the very 
balminess of the air took from us all thoughts of the 
tomb. When we again ascended, and dropped the fee 
into the hand of the smiling young priest, we found it 
difficult to realize that we had been treading on a spot 
where, for fifteen centuries, the great and noble had 
found their burial-place. 





CHAPTER IV. 

CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE SISTINE CHAPEL. THE SER- 
VICES IN ST. Peter's on christmas day. — the 

BRITISH CHAPEL. 

HE Christmas Holydays are at hand, and on 
every side we hear the note of preparation. 
The shops are decorated with flowers, while 
the altars of the churches are arrayed in their 
most splendid ornaments. The images of the Virgin in 
particular are seen in their gayest dress, and all the 
jewelry which the treasury can furnish is brought out 
to give them an elegant and fashionable appearance. 

At this time, too, in addition to the varied population 
of the city, — its priests, soldiers, and beggars, who to- 
gether form the great proportion, — a new accession is 
pouring in from the surrounding country. The peas- 
ants who live in the deserted tombs on the Campagna ; 
the natives of the Alban mountains, fierce, banditti- 
looking fellows, who gather their cloaks about them 
with a scowling air which would not be at all pleasant 
to encounter among their own hills ; and the Trastev- 
erini, in their picturesque costumes, boasting themselves 
to be the only true descendants of the ancient Romans, 
and as proud and haughty in their bearing as if they 
had also inherited the heroic virtues of their ancestors, 
— these are to be met roaming about every street, and 
in the churches, gazing in wonder at their magnificence. 



42 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

The most singular, however, are the Calabrian min- 
strels, the pifferari. Their dress is wild and striking, 
consisting of a loose sheep-skin coat, with the wool left 
on it, and a high peaked cap, decked with gay ribbons 
and sprigs of heather, while the huge zampogne of goat- 
skin is formed like the bagpipes of Scotland, and resem- 
bles them too in its shrill music. These interesting 
characters arrive during the last days of Advent, and 
consider themselves the representatives of the shep- 
herds of Judea, who were the first to announce the 
news of the Nativity. Their usual gathering-place is 
on the steps of the Piazza di Spagna^ where they 
lounge and sleep in the warm sun. Every little while 
a party sets out on a tour through the city, blowing 
away with the most desperate energy. At the next 
corner is one of the shrines of the Madonna, and this is 
their first stopping-place, to salute the Mother and 
Child. Lady Morgan says, it is done " under the 
traditional notion of charming her labor-pains on the 
approaching Christmas." They turn down the Via 
Frattina^ and a short distance further come to a car- 
penter's shop, which must also be favored with a tune, 
— " per politezza al messer San Giuseppe," — " out of 
compliment to St. Joseph." The owner hands them 
out a hajoccho^ and they continue their march until the 
circuit is completed. 

At sundown, on Christmas Eve, the cannon sounded 
from the castle of St. Angelo, to give notice that the 
Holy Season had begun. We were advised to attend 
service in the Sistine Chapel, and accordingly at an 
early hour repaired to the Vatican, in which it is situ- 
ated. Gentlemen are only admitted in full dress, and 
ladies are also compelled to appear in black, their heads 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 43 

covered only with a veil. The entrance was guarded 
by the Pope's harlequin-looking guards, in the ridiculous 
uniform said to have been designed by Michael Angelo ; 
and the company all gathered round them until the 
doors were opened, when they pushed in as best they 
could, jostling and being jostled. Half way up the 
chapel there is a grating, beyond which the ladies are 
not permitted to go, so that for once the gentlemen 
were best accommodated. At the' upper end of the 
large area above is the altar, while on the sides are 
raised seats for the Cardinals, and to these we strug- 
gled up, until all further advance was cut off by the 
halberds of the guards. Here we took our stand, and 
waited with the most exemplary patience for the sersdce 
to begin. 

Nearly an hour passed while the Cardinals were col- 
lecting. One by one they came into the area, their 
long, red trains supported by two priests in purple 
dresses, and after kneeling for a moment on the floor, 
facing the altar, ascended to their seats. Their breth- 
ren, already there, rose and greeted them with a stately 
bow, and the attendants placed themselves humbly at 
their feet. At length the music began, but I confess I 
was disappointed. It was too loud for the size of the 
chapel, and we missed the sweet sounds of the organ, 
which formed so noble an accompaniment at Vespers in 
St. Peter's. In the middle of the chapel stood a lec- 
tern, and to this at diiferent parts of the service, a priest 
would be escorted, who, after going through his portion 
in a kind of recitative manner, was again in form es- 
corted back to the door. These modulations, we are 
told by Roman Catholic writers, were first introduced 
to raise and support the voice, to extend its reach and 



44 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

soften its cadences, because its common tones cannot 
adequately be heard when the service is performed in a 
large church. They vary, however, in number and 
solemnity in the different parts of the service. " In the 
lessons and epistles, the interrogations, exclamations, 
and periods only are marked by a corresponding rise or 
fall : the Gospel had its variations more numerous and 
more dignified : the Preface is rich in full melodies and 
solemn swells, borrowed, as it is supposed, from the 
stately accents of Roman tragedy. The Psalms, or to 
use an expression more appropriate, the anthems that 
commence the service, precede the Gospel, usher in the 
Offertory, and follow the Communion, together with the 
Gloria in excelsis and Creed, were set to more compli- 
cated and more labored notes." ^ The priests who 
officiated this evening seemed to have been selected 
for their voices, and we certainly never heard anything 
superior to them in compass and richness of tone. As 
with their faces turned to heaven, they sang from the 
large, golden-clasped volumes, it seemed to be the very 
perfection of the human voice. There could, however, 
be no devotion except for those well acquainted with 
the service, and as there was great sameness in the 
singing, the audience evidently soon began to grow 
weary. For a time, therefore, I scrutinized the Car- 
dinals, some of whom have magnificent heads — keen, 
intellectual looking men, well worthy to be pillars of 
the Vatican. Then I tried to make out the fi-escos on 
the ceiling, and the great painting of the " Last Judg- 
ment " by Michael Angelo, which occupies the end of 
the chapel, and is more than sixty feet high. But the 
paintings were loo far off to be seen even by the bril- 

1 Eustace, vol. ii. p. 81. 



THE CHRISTMAS HO L YD AYS IN ROME. 45 

liant lights around us, and the brightness of their colors 
has been sadly dimmed by the smoke of the candles and 
incense during the last two centuries. 

The audience seemed to be almost entirely English, 
and I suppose were Protestants. Such at least is the 
complaint of the Italians, that they can never gain ad- 
mittance to the services of their own Church, but every 
place is occupied by foreigners. This formed the sub- 
ject of one of the satirical witticisms of Pasquin. One 
night the question w^as affixed to his statue, " How 
shall I, being a true son of the Holy Church, obtain 
admittance to her services ? " The next night the 
answer which appeared was, " Declare that you are 
an Englishman, and swear that you are a heretic." 
After a while, the rumor began to spread round among 
the spectators, that the Pope was not to be present this 
evening, and therefore there would be no High Mass 
after Vespers. The news apparently made them more 
-restless, and they began to thin out. One party after 
another passed down the line of guards, as they stood 
like statues, and departed. Many w^ent to the Church 
of St. Maria Maggiore, to see at midnight the true cra- 
dle in which our Lord was rocked carried in procession. 
Having, however, little taste for such exhibitions, we did 
not join them. I found indeed, from the account of 
a friend who witnessed it, that w^e did not lose much. 
After standing for some hours in a dense crowd, listen- 
ing to the singing of the choir, a procession of priests 
carried the Holy Relic across the Church from the sac- 
risty to the altar. It was inclosed in a splendid coffer 
of silver, with a canopy of gold cloth elevated over it. 
Banners waved ; the lighted tapers were held up ; in- 
cense rose in clouds about it ; the guard of soldiers, and 



46 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

the crowd which filled the Church, dropped on their 
knees ; it passed, and the whole show was oyer. 

Near midnight we took our course homeward, be- 
neath as splendid a moon as ever shone, even through 
the transparency of an Italian sky. In the square be- 
fore St. Peter's, the obelisk raised its tapering point up 
to heaven, and the fountain on each side flung high its 
waters, which fell in silver spray as they reflected back 
the clear light of the moon. We stood for a while on 
the bridge of St. Angelo, looking at its beams play upon 
the Tiber. That mighty fortress — Hadrian's massive 
tomb — was frowning darkly above us, and the statues 
which lined the bridge looked pale and wan in the clear 
night, till they appeared like pallid phantoms, stead- 
fastly watching the current of time, by w^hich they 
could be influenced no more. ^ 



Christmas morning fulfilled in its beauty the promise 
of the night before. It is the great festival of the win- 
ter. The Papal banners are displayed from the Castle, 
and the streets are filled with crowds thronging up to 
St. Peter's. The guards, in their strange white and 
red costumes, were stationed around the body of the 
Church, while at the lower end a body of troops were 
drawn up, who remained there on duty during the 
w^hole service. With the audience the same formality 
of dress was required as the evening before. At the 
upper end of the Church was the magnificent throne of 
the Pope, raised quite as high as the altar which it 

1 " Les rayons de la lune faisoient des statues comme des ombres blanches 
regardant fix^ment couler les flots et le temps qui ne les concernent plus." 
— C(y>Hnne. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 47 

fronted, and decked out most splendidly with its cloth 
of crimson and gold, and the gilded mitre suspended 
above. Next to it on the sides were the seats for the 
Cardinals ; then " the boxes for ambassadors and their 
suites ; and then high platforms covered with crimson 
cloth, to aiford seats for the ladies. The altar has no 
chancel around it, and the great area between its steps 
and the Papal throne was left vacant for the perform- 
ance of the services. As my stand happened to be 
close to the ambassadors' boxes, I had an excellent 
view of everything which took place. 

After waiting for at least an hour, suddenly there 
came a burst of music from the lower end of the 
Church. It was a loud chant, which, softened by the 
distance, floated sweetly through the building. Every 
eye was strained towards the spot from which it pro- 
ceeded, and there, raised high on the shoulders of men 
clothed in violet-colored robes, we beheld the Pope 
borne above the heads of the kneeling multitude in his 
crimson chair, the falling drapery from which half con- 
cealed those who carried him. The gemmed tiara w^as 
on his head, and his robes sparkled with jewels. On 
each side of him were carried high, fan-like banners of 
ostrich feathers, such as we see in pictures of the pro- 
cessions of an eastern rajah. Before him marched a 
guard of honor, consisting of some sixty Roman noble- 
men, who always form his escort on great festivals. 
Around him was his brilliant court : the Cardinals ; the 
Bishops of the Greek, Armenian, and other eastern 
chtirches, in their most gorgeous array ; the heads of 
different rehgious brotherhoods, in ash-colored gar- 
ments ; priests in purple and white, some bearing the 
Great Cross and lighted tapers, and some flinging in the 



48 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

air their golden censers, — thus the procession came 
slowly on to the sound of anthems, — the most gor- 
geous show which probably ever entered a Christian 
church. The Pope passed within six feet of where I 
stood. His eyes were closed ; his whole countenance 
seemed dull and lifeless ; and the constant nodding of 
his head, as the bearers walked with unsteady step, gave 
him the appearance of a mere image, splendidly decked 
out to form part of a pageant. 

At length, amid his kneeling train he was deposited 
on the pavement in front of the altar, and the guard of 
nobles ranged themselves on each side of the area up to 
the throne. He knelt for a few moments ; parts of his 
dress were changed, the tiara being put upon the altar 
and a mitre substituted in its place ; he joined in the 
psalms and prayers which precede the solemn service, 
and was escorted in state to his lofty seat, wdiile the 
choir sang the Introitus^ or Psalm of Entrance. Then 
one by one the Cardinals swept across the Church, 
their long, scarlet trains borne up behind them as they 
walked, and spread out so as to cover a surface of yards 
in extent when they stopped, and ascending the steps 
they kissed the Pontiffs hand and the hem of his gar- 
ment. 

The service of High Mass now began, in which he at 
times took part. He read the Collect ; gave his bene- 
diction to the two deacons kneeling at his feet w^th the 
Book of the Gospels ; commenced the Nicene Creed, 
which the choir continued in music ; and returning to 
the altar, fumed it with incense from a golden ceng^r, 
offered the usual oblations, and washed his hands, in 
token of purity of mind. When the elements were con- 
secrated, two deacons brought the Sacrament to the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 49 

Pope, who is seated. He first revei'ed it on his knees, 
and then received it sitting. 

But it would be impossible for me to describe the 
long and complicated service. A Cardinal officiated at 
the altar ; rich and solemn music swelled out from the 
choir, and filled the mighty building in which we were ; 
sweet incense floated through the air ; thousands and 
thousands were gathered under that golden dome ; and 
no single thing was omitted which could add to the 
magnificence of the pageant. In this respect it is prob- 
ably unequaled in the world. Yet to most who were \ 
present it could have been nothing but an empty show, j 
The priests crossed and recrossed ; censers waved ; 
candles were lighted and put out ; dresses were changed 
and rechanged ; the Cardinals walked back and forth, 
until the mind became utterly bewildered. All things 
about us indeed — the vastness of the edifice, the works 
of art, the rich dresses, the splendid music — contrib- 
uted to heighten the effect ; yet, with all this, the seri- 
ousness of devotion seemed to be wanting. 

Had I known nothing of Christianity, I should have 
supposed the Pope to be the object of their worship. 
His throne was far more gorgeous than the altar ; 
where they kneeled before the latter once, they kneeled 
before the former five times ; ^ and the amount of in- 
cense offered before each was about in the same pro- 
portion. He was evidently the central point of attrac- 
tion. The entrance of the old man, so gorgeously at- 
tired, among kneeling thousands, and the splendor of 

1 " Never, I ween, 

In anybody's recollection, 
Was such a party seen 

For genuflection." 
4 



50 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

the whole service, showed more fully than ever before 
how far the Church of Rome had wandered from the 
simplicity of the faith, and how much of ceremony it 
had substituted for the pure worship of the early Chris- 
tians. The day before I had gone over the service for 
Christmas with an ecclesiastic of the Romish Church, 
received from him every explanation, and I now fol- 
lowed it through with the Missal in my hand. I wished 
:to form an opinion for myself, and after investigating 
:as far as possible the meaning of the many ceremonies 
we have witnessed, I could not but feel the truth of the 
remark I have somewhere seen, that '' the Romanist has 
been the Pagan's heir." The most interesting part to 
me was, to hear the Nicene (or rather, Constantinopoli- 
tan) Creed chanted in Greek immediately after it had 
been chanted in Latin. " It is to show the union of the 
two Churches," a priest most gravely told me. I 
thought that whereas the Latin Church has for cen- 
turies anatliematized the Greek, and the Greek in turn 
repudiated the Latin, this service had about as much 
meaning as the title '' King of Jerusalem," which the 
King of Naples still uses. 

At length the service ended. The Pope was once 
more raised on his lofty seat and carried down the 
Church ; the Roman nobles formed around him ; his 
body-guards shouldered their halberds ; the Cardinals, 
with their train-bearers, fell into their places, and the 
gay procession went as it came. While it passed down, 
the Pope gently waved his hand from side to side to 
dispense his blessing ; the immense multitude sunk 
upon their knees as he went by, until the train disap- 
peared through the door, and the successor of St. Peter 
departed to his dwelling in the Vatican. The released 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 51 

ecclesiastics proceeded to pay their respects to the 
ladies; violet and scarlet stockings appeared in the 
crowd among the brilliant uniforms ; " nods, and becks, 
and wreathed smiles " were visible on all sides ; com- 
pliments in French and Itahan mingled into one chaos 
of sound, — and the whole broke up like a gay pleasure 
party. 

For some time I lingered under the colonnades to 
see the immense multitude pour out and disperse. As 
they passed down the steps and by the massive pillars, 
they seemed pigmies in size. Before the Church, the 
whole square was alive. The crimson and gold car- 
riages of the Cardinals, with their three liveried foot- 
men hanging on behind, were dashing away ; the 
troops were pouring out ; military music was sounding, 
— and I went home with scarcely a feeling to remind 
me that I had been at church. 



From this gorgeous and unsatisfactory show I was 
glad, at a later hour of the day, to repair to the pure 
worship of our own Church, for I felt that thus far I 
had been doing nothing to keep the solemn festival of 
the Nativity. The Papal power, which in our own 
land talks so loudly of toleration, here will not allow 
the worship of a Protestant within the bounds of " the 
Eternal City," and almost supported as its people are 
by the money which the thousands of English scatter 
among them, it does not permit them even to erect a 
church in which to* meet. Without the walls of the 
citv, just beyond the Porta Del Popolo^ a large " upper 
room " has been fitted up for the British Chapel, and 
there on sufferance they gather each week. There is 



62 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

no organ, no singing ; everything is as plain and simple 
as possible. Yet never did I so much enjoy the ser- 
vices of the Church as on this occasion. Never did I 
feel so grateful to the Reformers of the Church of Eng- 
land, that at the cost of their own lives they had be- 
queathed to us primitive purity. I thought of the time 
when, eighteen centuries ago, while the magnificence 
of a Heathen Ritual was going on in old Rome, perhaps 
some little band of Christians had met beyond its walls, 
in seclusion to offer up their simple worship. How 
great must have been the contrast between the two 
scenes — the splendor of those forms and ceremonies 
with which thousands bowed around the altars of the 
Capitoline Jupiter, and the simplicity and purity with 
which a few disciples of Christ prayed to their crucified 
Master ! 

''Did you receive much spiritual benefit from the 
services at St. Peter's this morning ? " said a friend to 
me as we were leaving the British Chapel. " Yes," I 
answered, " indirectly, I received much ; for it taught 
me to realize the value of our own services as I never 
did before, and I trust therefore to use them for the rest 
of my life with greater benefit. It is the contrast be- 
tween the Church in the days of Leo X. and in the 
time of Constantine." 




CHAPTER V. 

THE CAPITOLINE HILL. 

E have devoted this morning to antiquities ; 
and as strangers in winter all congregate 
about the Piazza di Spagna^ — which, by 
the way, is the site of the old Circus of Do- 
mitian, — we were obliged to pass through the whole 
extent of the city to reach the Capitoline Hill, which 
was our first point. We went through the Corso, and 
by the old Venetian Palace, and then threaded our way 
among the labyrinth of narrow, filthy streets, until we 
found ourselves at the base of the Hill. On its top 
once stood the pride of Rome, the Temple of Jupiter 
Capitolinus, which was filled ^dth the offerings of 
princes and kings, and the treasures of a conquered 
world. The whole earth was ransacked to add to its 
glory, and even the columns of Pentelic marble, which 
adorned its front, were brought from the distant plains 
of the Ilissus, where Grecian genius had placed them 
to form the portico of one of its own beautiful temples. 
But it has passed away so completely, that its very site 
is a subject of antiquarian dispute. 

A magnificent flight of marble steps, broad enough 
for an army to mount with its ranks unbroken, leads up 
to the Hill. At its base stand two basalt lions — old 
Egyptian monuments, brought from some ancient tern- 



64 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

pie whose faith has long since perished, and bearing the 
impress of everything which comes from that mysteri- 
ous land. Colossal and frowning, with that strange, 
unearthly expression of countenance which Egyptian 
sculptors seem always to give, conveying the idea of 
something mystic and awful, these solemn antique 
figures remain, age after age, gazing fixedly and se- 
verely forward, as if the silent witnesses of all the deeds 
of darkness and fear which are going on in the chang- 
ing city below them. They are fit guardians of " the 
Staircase of the Lion," at the head of which so much 
noble blood had been shed, when it was the spot on 
which for ages state criminals paid the forfeit of their 
hves. The broad platform at the summit — " the Place 
of the Lion " — where these tragedies were enacted in 
the view of all Rome, while the bell from the Capitol 
above tolled mournfully and slow to show that a soul was 
passing away, is now filled with antique statuary, the 
colossal forms which have been preserved from the 
wreck of the Republic and the Empire. In its centre 
once stood a gigantic image of Jupiter Capitolinus, 
made fi-om the armor taken from the Samnites in the 
fifth century from the building of the city, and so lofty 
that it could be seen from the Mons Latialis, near Al- 
bano, a distance of twenty miles.^ Its site is now occu- 
pied by the magnificent equestrian figure of Marcus 
Aurelius, the finest in existence. In the fourteenth 
century the place of the statue was in front of the 
Lateran, and it bore a prominent part in that gorgeous 
show, when Rienzi the Tribune cited to appear person- 
ally before him the kings of Bavaria and Bohemia, to 
plead their own cause and prove their claim to the title 

1 Pliny, lib. xxxiv. c. 18. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 65 

of Emperor of Rome — a proud challenge in behalf of 
the liberties of Italy, which his opposers have always 
ridiculed as the splendid folly of an enthusiastic mind, 
while his friends have lauded it as the sublime daring 
of a noble nature. When the historians of the day de- 
scribe that royal banqueting, they cite, in proof of its 
lavish profusion, that from morn till eve, wine poured 
out like a fountain from the nostrils of this horse. 

The summit of the Hill, around the three sides of 
'' the Place of the Lion," is occupied by palaces, built 
by Paul III., fi'om the designs of Michael Angelo. The 
centre is the Palace of the Senator, which we have be- 
fore mentioned, — a vast, unoccupied building, where 
some inferior courts of justice at times are held, and 
whose great bell hangs silent in the tower above, being 
never rung except on the death of a Pope, or to pro- 
claim that the Carnival has begun. The proud ini- 
tials, S. P. Q. R., are placed over the entrance and still 
carried in processions, recalling as if by a sort of mock- 
ery the palmy days of the Republic. The Senator, too, 
— for that august body has dwindled down to one man, 
— is still appointed, and the Romans say, '' the Senator 
represents the people." His office, however, is a mere 
shadow ; its most weighty duty being that of carrying 
the sacramental vessels between the High Altar and the 
Pope on the great festivals of the Church, and its high- 
est privilege that of standing in a picturesque dress on 
the second step of the Papal throne during some great 
ceremony. 

The palaces on the other two sides of the square are 
used as museums, principally for the works of antique 
art. It is places like these, indeed, which enable Rome 
to preserve her supremacy over the world, ruling now 



66 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

in the realms of taste as she once did in those of arms 
and rehgion. Within her walls are gathered most that 
the wreck of time has left of beauty, from the creations 
of Greece or ancient Rome, or the still older attempts 
of Egypt and Etruria. And all these are freely opened 
to the pilgrim to this land. The labors of Art are be- 
fore him, from its achievements in far distant ages, 
when men dimly imagined a grace which they were not 
able to embody, down to its perfect triumph in crea- 
tions which more than realize his brightest dreams. 
Here are forms steeped in an atmosphere of beauty, 
and he can dwell upon them until his own taste has 
grown into faultless purity. 

Let us enter then these palaces, and at once we have 
the realization of what we have just written. Sculp- 
ture has preserved tJie heroes of all times and coun- 
tries, and they are before us with the life which charac- 
terized them, when the artist so admirably arrested and 
fixed, in enduring marble, the passing expression. 
These halls are crowded with their busts and statues, 
and now there is gathered on this Hill a nobler assem- 
blage of Consuls, and Princes, and Dictators, than ever 
trod its temples in their living day.^ When the sun- 
light plays on them, you are dazzled by the reflection 
of the white marbles, as the animated figures seem 

1 It is curious to mark how faithfully the marble has transmitted to us 
the difference between the early Romans and the late Emperors. The for- 
mer have something noble and elevated in their looks; while those who, in 
the last ages of the Empire, were called to the throne from the seraglio, or 
the ranks of a barbarian army, show in every lineament their mixed blood 
and vicious habits. A similar change may be seen in the busts of the 
Medici in the vestibule of the Gahria Imperiale at Florence. In every gen- 
eration you can mark the deterioration. There is a regular series of stages, 
from the stem countenance of Cosmo I. and the magnificent head of Lo- 
renzo, down to the silly face of Gaston, the profligate buffoon, with whom 
the family expired in 1737. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 57 

often starting from their pedestals. But nobler even 
than these life-like copies of " men of like passions 
with ourselves," are the forms of beauty which the 
artist created when he gave himself up to his worship 
of the Ideal. We meet with group after group, which 
realizes the dreams we had over the studies of our boy- 
hood, and calls up again the bright legends of the Gre- 
cian faith. Here is the heroic beauty of the '-'• Apollo,'' 
while the shrinking loveliness of many a fabled goddess 
contrasts with the austere and majestic lineaments of 
" the cloud-compelling Zeus." And mingled with them 
is that antique sacerdotal sculpture, the only memorial 
of the vanished faith which once prevailed on the banks 
of the Nile. Thus the spoils of art have been widely 
gathered, from the Temples of old Egypt, from the Por- 
ticoes of Athens, and the Forum of ancient Rome. 

We passed a morning among these treasures, which 
the past has bequeathed to us ; but when we now look 
back upon them, all seem dimly remembered, or rather 
almost effaced by the vivid recollection of one single 
statue — the '' Dying Gladiator." Standing in the 
centre of a hall to which it gives the name, it is the 
gem of the whole collection. We had often seen casts 
of it, but they are utterly wanting in the effect pro- 
duced by the great original. They fail entirely in con- 
veying any distinct idea of its excellence. 

The figure is a little larger than nature, and repre- 
sents him as wounded in the fight, with life just ebbing 
away. He is reclining on his sword and shield, which 
have fallen beneath him, and has raised himself lan- 
guidly on one arm, as if to try how much strength re- 
mains. The limbs seem to be gently yielding from 
languor^ as weakness creeps over him, and he is gradu- 



58 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

ally falling to the ground. He is evidently insensible 
to all that is passing around, and absorbed with his own 
situation. The countenance is deeply sorrowful and 
expressive of agony, but we see that it is more than 
mere physical suffering. There seems to be a conflict 
going on within, which is shown in the despair of the 
eye, the bitter writhing of the lip, the wrinkled brow, 
and the abstracted air of the whole visage. Melancholy 
emotions insensibly creep over us as we look upon him ; 
and herein was shown the artist's skill, that he should 
excite these feelings by the mere touching display of a 
fellow-being in conflict with death. Its power, indeed, 
rests on nothing but an appeal to our common interests 
in humanity, for there are no adventitious circumstances 
to call forth our sympathies. There is no heroic in- 
terest about the Gladiator. It is not the fall of one 
whose name is written in history, or whose fate can at 
all aflect the world. It is nothing but the death of a 
slave, as the cord round his neck proves him to be ; yet 
we are forced to gaze with sympathies which can be 
awakened by no other statue in existence. The Glad- 
iator's last fight is over ; the sweat is yet upon his 
brow, clotting together the thick locks of hair ; his ex- 
hausted strength is just suffering him to sink to the 
earth ; and it seems as if in a few moments more he 
would pass away, and be at once forgotten among the 
thousands who thus fall in the arena. Yet he is a man, 
in the solemn hour of death, and so well has the artist 
told this fact, that he appeals at once to every kindly 
feeling in our common nature. And as genius has 
always an affinity with genius, we find that one of the 
noblest passages in " Childe Harold" is the embodiment, 
in the language of poetry, of what this ancient and un- 
known sculptor has so well expressed in marble : — 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 59 

" I see before me the gladiator lie : 
He leans upon his hand ; his manly brow 
Consents to death, but conquers agony, 
And his droop'd head sinks gradually low — 
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow 
From the red gash, fall heavily, one by one, 
Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now 
The arena swims around him : he is gone, 
Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won. 

** He heard it, but he heeded not : his eyes 
Were with his heart, and that was far away; 
He reck'd not of the life he lost, nor prize. 
But where his rude hut by the Danube lay, 
There were his young barbarians all at play, 
There was their Dacian mother — he their sire, 
Butcher' d to make a Roman holy day. 
All this rush'd with his blood. Shall he expire, 
And unavenged? Arise, ye Goths, and glut your ire! " 

Was this the idea which the artist intended to de- 
velop ? We know not, nor does it matter. We are 
satisfied with ihe interpretation of the pilgrim-poet. 
But after examining most of the noblest masterpieces 
of antiquity which remain, we find none on which the 
memory dwells with the interest it does on this single 
statue, which, as we gaze, calls back eighteen centuries, 
and transports us to the arena of Roman sports. The 
'' Apollo," noble as it is, appeals only to the imagin- 
ation. Even the "Venus de Medici," the glory of fair 
Florence, touches not the deepest feelings. You seem 
indeed, as you stand at its pedestal, to inhale an atmos- 
phere of beauty, until you are forced to confess the 
power of antique art, and realize that the old poetical 
mythology must have furnished inspiration to genius. 
You turn away at last, " dazzled and drunk with 
beauty ; " but this is all. There is no appeal to the 
heart, and therefore we give the preference to the 
^' Dying Gladiator," and remember it as the very per- 
fection of what can be wrought by the chisel. 



60 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Leaving the Museum, we passed around the base of 
the Hill, and came to the side which formerly over- 
looked the ancient city. But where all this magnifi- 
cence once stood, nothing is now to be seen but ruins. 
One tide of desolation after another swept over it, until 
finally, what remained was ravaged by the Normans 
under Robert Guiscard, when the Capitol, the Coliseum, 
and all the surrounding antiquities, seem to have been 
hopelessly shattered. He had been summoned to the 
rehef of his ally, Gregory VII., besieged by the Em- 
peror Henry in the Castle of St. Angelo. The Ger- 
man^ army having been forced to retire, the Pope was 
led in triumph to his ancient Palace of the Lateran. 
It was, however, a rescue dearly purchased by the Ro- 
man Pontiff. On the third day the people rushed to 
arms, and commenced the indiscriminate massacre of 
their invaders. Overpowered by numbers, Guiscard 
at last gave the order to fire the city ; and when the sun 
set behind the Tuscan hills, Gregory looked out from 
his windows on a scene of woe, of which Rome was for 
centuries to bear the traces. The whole sky was red- 
dened by flames, while the fierce Saracens — who com- 
posed a part of the Norman army — gratified their 
hatred of Christianity by plundering every church and 
altar. The fires swept on until two thirds of the city 
were destroyed, and the noblest monuments of Mediae- 
val Rome had perished. Then, at last, Guiscard 
reigned unopposed amidst the smoking ruins of this 
ancient splendor; but Gregory — fearful of a popula- 
tion more hostile to him than ever — fled from the city, 
shortly after to die in exile. 

The whole of the Esquiline seems at that time to 
have been laid waste, and no attempt has since been 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 61 

made to restore its monuments. The modern city 
grew up on the other sicje of the Hill, and the site of 
Ancient Rome was abandoned to desolation, as if a spell 
rested over it. As we gazed down upon its hoary 
ruins, all seemed silent and lonely ; not a living crea- 
ture visible but a solitary artist, who, sitting on the base 
of a fallen column, was sketching some of the time-worn 
monuments. 

Here was the site of the old Forum, '' the field " in 
which — Lord Byron tells us — ''a thousand years of 
silenced factions sleep." It was evidently once sur- 
rounded by a colonnade, which must have given it 
somewhat the form and appearance of the Palais Royal 
in Paris, or the Piazza San Marco in Venice. We 
stood within it, where Cicero had pleaded, and count- 
less schemes of ambition run their wild career. Above 
our heads towered high on the one side eight granite 
columns, which once formed the portico to the Temple 
of Vespasian ; while on the other side stand three lofty 
fluted Corinthian columns, the sole remains of the Tem- 
ple of Saturn. How strange they look as they are seen 
in contrast with the deep blue of the Italian sky, so tall 
and solitary, supported by no wall and with no roof 
above, nothing near but the ivy which wreathes itself 
around and falls in graceful festoons from their sculp- 
tured capitals ! Round and round the ruined Forum 
pass their lonely shadows, as if this was Time's dial, and 
he had placed them there to mark his ages as they went 
by. Before us was the magnificent triumphal arch of 
Septimius Severus, its statues still remaining, and its 
inscriptions uneffaced ; while at the lower end of the 
Forum, near the Portico of Vespasian, rises in lonely 
grandeur that solitary pillar to which Byron refers in 
the line, — 



62 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 
" The nameless column with a buried base." 

It would have been well, perhaps, for our interest in 
this monument, if its origin had always remained thus 
mysteriously concealed. Later excavations, however, 
have proved that it was erected in honor of the Em- 
peror Phocas, one of the most despicable of mortals. 
He was a sanguinary usurper, whom his own people 
having abandoned to the Persians — whose envoy he 
had burned alive — he was taken by them and put to 
death. And yet the base of this column bears the in- 
scription, — '' To the most clement and felicitous 
Prince Phocas, Emperor, the adored and crowned 
conqueror, always august," &c. 

Leaving the Forum, we stood beneath the Arch of 
Titus. More than fifty generations have passed away 
since this monument was reared to commemorate the 
destruction of Jerusalem ; yet on its worn and broken 
compartments we can still trace the story it recorded. 
In the distance are imagined in rehef, the fearful ac- 
companiments of a city taken by assault, — old men and 
women and children gathered into groups, and around 
them an enraged and brutal soldiery. On one side are 
seen the Temple walls riven by fire, and just tottering 
to their fall, while in the foreground is the triumphal 
procession of the victors as once it swept over this very 
spot, and, amidst the shoutings of the Roman populace, 
ascended to the Capitol. Slowly and sadly walk the 
captive Jews, bearing in their hands the spoils of their 
holy worship. The tables of shew-bread, the seven- 
branched golden candlestick, the Jubilee trumpets, and 
the incense vessels, are there, copied from the originals.^ 

1 It is interesting to inquire what became of these sacred relics. Josephus 
says {DeBello Jud. lib. vii. c. v.) that the veil and books of the law were 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 63 

On the opposite side of the Arch is seen the triumphal 
chariot of Titus, drawn by four horses. He is standing 
within it, while Victory is crowning him with laurel, 
and around are the crowds of his rejoicing army, lie- 
tors carrying the fasces, and the captives dragged in 
chains. Even to this day, the crushed and stricken 
Jew will not walk under this monument of his coun- 
try's fall, but passes round it, and winds his way by the 
ruins of the Temple of Peace, or else among the 
crambhng rehcs of the Palatine Mount. Yet time has 
brought its retribution, and now the persecuted Israel- 
ite, as he stands by this monument of Hebrew desola- 
tion, may see the palaces of the Imperial family one 
mountain of ruins. 

It is from this spot, indeed, that we have the noblest 
view of these ancient remains. Here, all around are 
the monuments of the past. Behind us is the Forum 
and the scene we have described ; before us, the Arch of 
Constantine, and the Coliseum, the noblest relic of old 
Rome ; on the one side are the massive ruins of the 
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, that of Venus and 
Rome, and the Basilica of Constantine ; on the other 
side is the Palace of the Caesars, covering the whole 
Palatine Mount like the wreck of a mighty city, — walls, 
and arches, and porticoes, mingled with the vineyards, 

placed in the palace at Rome, and the candlestick and other spoils in the 
Temple of Peace. The golden fillet is mentioned as late as the time of 
Hadrian. When Genseric entered Rome, among other spoils which he car- 
ried to Africa were the Hebrew vessels. On the conquest of the Vandals 
by Belisarius, A. d. 520, they were recovered and taken to Constantinople. 
Procopius states, that a Jew advised the Emperor not to put them in his 
palace, as they could not remain anywhere else but 'where Solomon had 
placed them ; and this was the reason why the palace in Rome had been 
taken, and afterwards the Vandals conquered. The Emperor therefore, 
alarmed, sent them to the Christian churches at Jenisalem. (Burton, vol. i. 
p. 236.) From that time all trace of them is lost. 



64 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

and massive columns peeping up through the long 
grass, or dimly seen among the ivy which hangs in 
thick festoons about them. 

On our return we came to the entrance of the old 
Mamertine prisons, which are built under the base of 
the Capitoline Hill. Livy tells us they were begun by 
Ancus Martins : and we know that in these gloomy 
chambers, Jugurtha was starved to death ; the accom- 
plices of Catiline were strangled by order of Cicero ; and 
Sejanus, the minister of Tiberius, was executed. Sal- 
lust, in describing it, says, — "The appearance of it 
from the filth, the darkness, and the smell, is terrific ; " 
and such, we can well believe, must in that day have 
been the case. Tradition has consecrated this prison as 
the one in which St. Peter was confined, and in the six- 
teenth century a chapel was therefore erected over it, 
the walls of which are now covered with votive offer- 
ings from those who ascribe their cure to prayers 
offered at its altars. 

Here we procured a guide with lighted tapers, and 
commenced our descent into the dungeons. A flight 
of twenty-eight stone steps led us into the upper cell. 
It is about twenty-seven feet by twenty, constructed of 
large masses of peperino, without cement, and showing 
by its very construction its high antiquity and Etruscan 
origin. From the first chamber a' still farther descent 
brought us into the lower one, which is only about nine 
feet wide, and six high. The massive stones of the 
roof, instead of being formed on the principle of an 
arch, point horizontally to a centre. There was for- 
merly no entrance to either, except by a circular aper- 
ture above, through which the prisoners were lowered, 
and a corresponding aperture in the floor of the upper 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 65 

cell to lead into the lower. A more horrible dungeon 
could not well be imagined. There is a stone pillar on 
one side, which our guide — a young priest — pointed 
out to us as the one to which St. Peter was chained, 
and in the centre, welKng up through an opening in 
the stone floor, is a fountain, which is said to have 
miraculously sprung up, to enable him to baptize his 
jailers. Processus and Martinian. The story is, of 
course, intended to be an improvement on the baptism 
at Philippi. Our guide also pointed out to us in the 
hard rock, the impression of a man's face. His story 
was, that w^hen the soldiers thrust St. Peter into this 
gloomy dungeon, it was done with such violence that 
he fell asjainst the wall. The hard stone immediately 
yielded, as if it had been soft, received the impression 
of the Apostle's face, and there it is to this day. It 
may have been a freak of nature, but we should think 
it was artificial. We asked the young priest if he be- 
lieved the legend, but could get no definite answer. 
He only laughed and evaded the question. It w^as evi- 
dent to us that, like the ancient philosophers, he had an 
esoteric and an exoteric doctrine. 

From this spot commenced the Via Sacra^ where 
Horace tells us he was accustomed to walk, — " Nescio 
quid meditans nugarum, et totus in illis." Centuries 
of rubbish had gathered over it, so that the surface of 
the ground was here many feet higher than formerly, 
half burying the columns which stand around. When 
the French held Rome, they commenced excavations, 
which have since been constantlv carried on, until the 
old pavement under the Arch of Severus w^as uncov- 
ered, and we may now tread the same causeway which 
formerly echoed to the step of the warriors and poets of 
5 



66 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

old Rome. Had we some magic wand to wave back the 
triumphal processions which in '' the purple days " of 
the Empire passed over these stones, what a gorgeous 
picture would they form ! Captive kings ; princes 
fi'om the far East, of strange language and costume ; 
wild beasts dragged from the forests of Africa, to grace 
a triumph or contend in the Cohseum with men scarcely 
less savage ; cars and chariots, loaded with the spoils 
of rifled cities ; and the armed legions of Rome in all 
the bravery of their conquests, — these would swell the 
long array which swept before us. 

We passed once more around the Hill, to find the 
Tarpeian Rock, down which, in the days of the Repub- 
lic, traitors were hurled and dashed to pieces at its base. 
Though surrounded with buildings, and the soil accu- 
\mulated below, yet it is still plainly visible on the 
southern side of the Capitoline, facing the Tiber. We 
threaded our way among the narrow streets beneath, 
and ascending, passed through a garden, when we 
found ourselves standing on the brink of an abrupt 
precipice, at least seventy feet in height. It needed 
not the " Ecco ! Rupe Tarpeja ! " of our ragged guide, 
the custode of this classical spot, for we recognized it at 
once as the place described by Seneca, when he says, 
— '' It is chosen that the criminals may not require to 
be thrown down more than once." And here, in the 
ancient days of Rome, suffered those who forgot their 
allegiance and plotted against her liberty ! 

" The steep 
Tarpeian, fittest goal of Treason's race, 
The promontory whence the traitor's leap 
Cured all ambition." 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE VATICAN. 




E have spent several days in different parts of 
the Vatican. The gardens, at some seasons 
of the year, are very pleasant, although ar- 
ranged too much in the dull uniformity which 
was the fashion a century ago. When we visited them 
in the month of January, the oranges were ripe upon 
the trees, and flowers were blooming around us. Thiey 
contain some beautiful fountains, and some which are 
tortured into the most grotesque shapes, as if to deviate 
as far from nature as possible. Like every other part 
of Rome, we find here, also, some antiquities — vases, 
columns, and statues, which have been dug up from the 
ruins of the ancient city. It was in these gardens that 
Pius VII. was accustomed to give audience to ladies, 
a custom which his successor has abandoned, having 
transferred his presentations to the apartments of the 
Vatican. 

The manufactory of mosaics is also an interesting 
place to visit, particularly after seeing the magnificent 
pictures in St. Peter's. It is under the government of 
the Court, and few of its works are allowed to be sold. 
The greater part are intended for the adornment of 
churches, or else as presents to different crowned 
heads. The number of tints used amounts to about 
ten thousand, and some of the large pictures take from 



68 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

twelve to twenty years to complete. It requires, there- 
fore, not only care and patience, but also a high degree 
of artistical skill. These little tesserce are put in rough, 
and the full effect cannot of course be seen until the 
whole surface is polished, when alterations cannot well 
be made. 

We passed one morning in the halls containing the 
Library of the Vatican, which is well known as being, 
in some respects, the finest in the world. It was prob- 
ably formed at a very early period, as it is not likely 
that men like St. Damasus (in the fourth century), 
who was celebrated for his learning, would have been 
unprovided wdth the means of study. We find, how- 
ever, no express record of it before the days of Hilary 
(a. d. 467), who established two libraries in the Ba- 
silica of the Lateran Palace. In the sixth century we 
first hear of the Bibliothecarius of the Apostolical 
Library, an office which has been filled to the present 
day. In the eighth century, the collection begun by 
Hilary was transferred to the Basilica of St. Peter's, 
and received constant additions. Then follow several 
centuries in which we find nothing but casual allusions 
to the Papal Library, though scattered through this 
period are the works of Roman writers, which could 
not have been composed without the aid of many 
books, and particularly those of ancient authors. We 
consider this, therefore, one proof that the Library must 
not only have then been in existence, but also extend- 
ing its influence. 

During the vicissitudes and troubles of the Papal 
See, in the days when rival Popes were contending for 
the tiara, it seems to have been well preserved. When 
Clement V. removed to Avignon, he took with him the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 69 

literary treasures of the See. At the end of the seces- 
sion, Martin V. restored them to Rome, and they have 
since been constantly increasing. During the revival 
of literature under Leo X., that Pontiff sent learned 
men through the whole East to purchase oriental 
manuscripts, to add to this collection. Its number of 
printed books is much smaller than is usually supposed, 
not exceeding thirty thousand. It is in manuscripts 
that the Library is so particularly rich, numbering 
nearly twenty-four thousand ; some of them as old as 
the fifth century, and others richly illuminated with 
pictures and miniatures, to execute which must have 
been the labor of many years. 

We found the anteroom filled with portraits of the 
librarians, and immediately inquired of the custode 
which was the picture of Assemanni ? But he told us, 
alas ! that the collection was limited to those who had 
attained the dignity of Cardinal, and as such had not 
been the case with either of the Assemanni, both were 
excluded ; and yet the fruits of the researches which 
they sent forth to the world, will preserve their names 
long after most of the cardinals, whose portraits grace 
these walls, have been forgotten. In the long list of 
librarians, indeed, we doubt whether any were as con- 
versant as Joseph Assemanni with the rich treasures of 
the Vatican. Scarcely stirring beyond these precincts, 
he explored them year after year, suffering no other 
earthly interest to mingle with his literary dreams, and 
so absorbed in the pursuit that the remembrances of 
early youth faded away, and he forgot even his own 
distant Syrian home. And when at last he was laid in 
the cemetery at Rome, his biographer tells us that he 



70 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

sorrowed as much to part from the treasures of the 
Vatican, as from his decaying Hfe.^ 

There is httle, however, to be seen by a mere visit to 
this stupendous collection. The manuscripts cannot be 
examined except by an express order, while the books 
are inclosed in wooden presses, so that not a volume is 
seen. There is nothing, therefore, of a literary air 
about it, as in the Bihliotheque du Roi in Paris, or the 
Bodleian in England, where you see the walls crowded 
to the ceiling with the labors of the learned. You may 
pass through these long halls without a suspicion that 
you are in a library. Nothing is to be seen but painted 
cabinets, Etruscan vases, and pictures of the early 
Councils of the Church. In one of the last galleries 
are collected all the objects of interest belonging to the 
early Christians, which were found in the Catacombs. 
Here are their personal ornaments, the sepulchral 
lamps, paintings, and the instruments of torture by 
which so many suffered martyrdom. A sight of these 
things transports us back to the early ages of persecu- 
tion. We look upon the very hooks and pointed in- 
struments which tore the flesh of those who '' counted 
not their lives dear unto themselves " when they were 
to be preserved by apostasy from Christ. 

It would be useless to attempt to describe the differ- 

1 Pasquin made the appointment of Assemanni the subject of one of his 
witticisms. His two predecessors had been Holstenius, who had abjured 
Protestantism, and Leo Allatius, a Chian. When, therefore, a Syrian was 
next appointed, the following distich appeared: — 

" Prsefuit haereticus. Post hunc, scismaticus. 

At nunc 
Turco prcBcst. Petri bibliotheca, vale ! " 
We believe, indeed, that Assemanni was never so complete a Romanist as 
to overcome his Syrian prejudices, and that his church, therefore, regards 
with much more favor the oriental researches of Renardot. 



• THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 71 

ent parts of the Vatican. It is almost a city in itself ! 
Murray tells us, that " it has eight grand staircases, 
two hundred smaller staircases, twenty courts, and 
four thousand four hundred and twenty-two apart- 
ments." We will select, therefore, only a few of the 
principal parts. 

We succeeded one morning in obtaining admission 
into the Sistine Chapel at a time when there was light 
enough to see the paintings. In the large saloon 
which leads to it, the walls are covered with frescoes, 
one of which, representing the '' Massacre of St. Bar- 
tholomew's," might as well have been omitted, it not 
being a triumph of which the Church of Rome should 
be particularly proud. In the Papal mint, however, can 
be seen a medal which was struck in honor of the same 
occasion. The glory of the Sistine Chapel has always 
been the great fresco of the '' Last Judgment," by 
Michael Angelo, which entirely covers one end. It 
is chiefly remarkable for the boldness of its drawing, 
the great number of figures introduced, and, of course, 
the anatomical details.^ The blessed are there, rising 
from their graves, ascending into heaven, and received 
by angels ; while demons are seizing the condemned 
and dragging them down to the pit. It of course gave 
opportunity to the artist to display his great powxr, 
as every possible passion was to be delineated ; but 
the picture is half heathenish. In the foreground is 
Charon, in his ferry-boat, rowing the groups over the 
Styx, and striking the refractory with his oar. This, 
however, was in accordance with the spirit of the age ; 

1 In 1841, the favorite ballet at the French Opera in Paris was called 
The Infernal Gallopade of the Last Judgment^ all the attitudes of which 
were taken from this picture. 



72 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. * 

and Michael Angelo only painted the retributions of 
Eternity as Dante had described them. 

It may be a great want of taste, yet the pictures of 
Michael Angelo are not those on which we could ever 
look with pleasure. They seem more intended as a 
study for artists, who can dwell with delight upon the 
skill of the fore-shortening and the grandeur of the 
design, than they do to excite the admiration of the un- 
learned. This very picture is a fair illustration of his 
style. It is full of sublimity, yet there is nothing to 
touch the heart. We shrink back from the stem and 
terrific Being who is hurling down his foes to the tor- 
ments of the condemned. We recognize not the Son 
of God as we have always thought of Him. He is here 
only the terrible Minister of vengeance. The artist, 
too, seems to take a savage delight in delineating the 
miseries of the lost, and even uses the divine skill with 
which Heaven had endowed him, to minister to his re- 
venge. The inspiration he had imbibed was not lofty 
enough to enable him to forget the strife and bitterness 
of private life, and therefore he condemns his enemies 
to immortality by painting their portraits among the 
damned.^ 

Look, too, at his pictures of the '' Holy Family," even 
the most celebrated of all, which is in the Tribune at 
Florence. It possesses no characteristics of grace or 
beauty. His Madonna is a noble looking woman, 

1 This seems to have been somewhat the fashion of the age. Dante re- 
cords in his poeras his partialities as a partisan, and places his enemies in 
the Inferno^ while Da Vinci, in his " Last Supper," gives Judas the likeness 
of one who had offended him. How different from our own Milton, who, 
bitter as he was as a politician, when he had " his garland and his singing 
robes about him," seemed to shake from his wings all the entanglements of 
earth, and to soar into a purer, holier region ! 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 73 

fitted to be the ancestress of a race of heroes, but that 
is all. There is nothing soft and attractive in the coun- 
tenance — none of that touching loveliness which we 
should wish to recognize in the Mother of our Lord. 
For these traits we must look to the pictures of Raph- 
ael and Poussin. His infant Saviour, too, only sug- 
gests to us the idea of a young Hercules. We should 
pronounce him a " a noble boy," but seek in vain in 
his lineaments for anything divine. There is, how- 
ever, one painting by Michael Angelo, which belongs 
to the class of subjects he should always have chosen. 
It is " The Parcag," in the Pitti Palace at Florence, a 
strange looking picture, with very little coloring, so 
that it seems unfinished. It is a bold design of the 
Three Fates, — grave, thoughtful, and severe, — spinning 
and cutting the thread of human life. The conception 
is Dante-hke, and one well suited to the character of 
the artist's mind. Lord Byron has somewhere re- 
corded his admiration of this picture. 

In truth, the mind of Michael Angelo was too fiery 
and impetuous to enable him to execute the high finish 
of painting, and he therefore always prided himself most 
on being a sculptor. His signature generally was, Michel 
Agnolo JBuonarotti^ Scultore^ and in one of his letters to 
Varchi, he says, that '' Sculpture is to Painting what 
the sun is to the moon." We are told that he often 
struck and hewed at the block of marble with a des- 
perate energy, as if struggling to extricate the form 
which in his imao-ination he saw concealed. For a 
nobJe evidence of his talent, we should look at his 
statues of the gloomy Lorenzo and the armed Ju- 
lian, in the Church of San Lorenzo at Florence, — as 
Rogers describes them, — "two ghosts, sitting on their 



74 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

sepulchres." His own family seem to have taken the 
same view of his characteristics ; and when his fellow- 
citizens were raising his splendid monument in the 
Church of Santa Croce, and, according to the original 
design, Painting was to have stood in front of the 
sepulchre, his relatives remonstrated most urgently. 
As they considered his peculiar excellence to have 
been manifested in Sculpture, they contended that it 
should have the post of honor, and the whole arrange- 
ment of the statues was accordingly altered. 

But to return to the Vatican. We passed, on our 
way, through the Loggia of Raphael — open porticoes 
covered with fresco paintings from the Old Testament. 
The first — the " Creation " — is one of those pictures 
so often attempted in the Church of Rome, in which all 
reverence seems to be forgotten. It represents the 
wildness of chaos, — clouds, and darkness, and the 
war of elements, — and above is a venerable old man, 
throwing himself upon it, to reduce to order the ma- 
terials of the universe, and to separate light from dark- 
ness. It is a vain attempt to convey, by sensible 
objects, an idea of that scene which the words of In- 
spiration bring before us so sublimely m the single 
sentence, — '' And God said. Let there be light : and 
there was light." 

On every Monday and Thursday the Musemn of the 
Vatican is open, and filled by eager hundreds, who are 
gathered in groups through every part of its marble 
galleries, studying these triumphs of human genius. 
Here, and in the Museum on the Capitoline Hill, are 
to be found all that survive the wars and devastations 
which have swept over Rome, all that her ancient 
conquerors brought from Greece, and all that her own 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 75 

artists learned to create, with these lifehke forms of 
Athenian sculpture as their models. And year after 
year, as new treasures were discovered among the 
buried ruins of the old city, this collection has been in- 
creasing, till it now has become well worthy of an 
artist's pilgrimage from any quarter of the earth. 
Here he will see, in some shape embodied, all those 
forms of beauty which have been flitting, like dim 
phantoms, through his brain. 

It takes a morning merely to walk through this col- 
lection. Long galleries, sometimes a thousand feet in 
length, are each devoted to a particular subject. One 
is filled with (jrreek inscriptions from the old tombs ; 
another with busts ; another with sculptures of ani- 
mals ; another with vases ; another with antique can- 
delabra ; while at every turn are sarcophagi, and 
altars, and Roman baths, which have been dug up 
among the ruins. The names of some of these halls 
— "the Cabinet of the Masks," ''the Hall of the 
Muses," " the Hall of the Biga " — may convey some 
idea of their contents. Old Egypt is represented here, 
ever the same, with her strange, uncouth figures, mel- 
ancholy sphinxes, and gods mingling the monster with 
the man. The influence of intellectual Greece, too, is 
everywhere visible, and we see how her worship of 
beauty softened and refined the stem grandeur of her 
conquerors. 

Here, in a circular hall by itself, as if nothing else 
was worthy to stand by its side, is the " Apollo Belve- 
dere," and around its pedestal are always collected a 
group, studying its matchless beauty. It is not the 
mere development of a human form, but rather the 
gathering into one of some poet's unearthly concep- 



76 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

tions — the expression of some ideal beauty that never 
really existed. In looking at it, we forget everything 
physical, in comparison with the soul which beams forth 
in every feature. He stands, with arm extended, as if 
the arrow had just parted from the bow, and secure 
that it would reach its mark, he is tracking its course. 
''Childe Harold" speaks of the ''beautiftd disdain" 
visible in " the eye and nostril." It is stamped, in- 
deed, on the whole countenance, as if he felt an immor- 
tal's contempt for the object of his vengeance. 

" But in his delicate form — a dream of love 
Shaped by some solitary nymph, whose breast 
Long'd for a deathless lover from above, 
And madden'd in that vision — are express'd 
All that ideal beauty ever bless'd 
The mind with, in its most unearthly mood, 
When each conception was a heavenly guest — 
A ray of immortality — and stood 

Starlike, around, until they gathered to a god ! " 

But the mere beauty of the execution is not all. 
Could a modern statue be formed, no way its inferior, 
it would not by any means possess the same interest. 
It is the thought that this has united the suffrages of 
three centuries. The intellectual and the cultivated 
of ten generations have stood before its pedestal, and 
no dissenting voice has been heard denying its claim to 
admiration. Michael Angelo, and Canova, and Thor- 
waldsen, and sculptors from all lands, have studied it, 
receiving new inspiration as they gazed. Countless 
writers, too, whose names are familiar in the annals of 
literature, have delighted to pay their tribute to its sur- 
passing beauty, and thus, as we look upon it, there is 
added also the charm of a thousand associations. 

Here, too, in another hall by itself, is the group of 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAVS IN ROME, 77 

" The Laocoon " — the father and his two sons in the 
serpent's coil and strain. We see them strugghng 
with the desperate energy of those who strive for Hfe, 
— seeking to unlock the living links which are wound 
around them, ''the long, envenomed chain," — yet 
striving in vain. The serpent tightens and deepens its 
coils, and rivets them more firmly, while each moment 
it is driving its fangs deeper into the old man's side. 
And yet with this group we were disappointed. The 
single figure of the father, so expressive of mortal 
agony, if it could be seen by itself, would be all that 
we could desire. The sons, however, are not youths. 
There is nothing juvenile about their forms or features. 
They are merely miniatures of the father. Parts, too, 
are restorations, and evidently not in accordance with 
the original outline of the group, injuring the effect of 
its intense action. 

As we traverse these halls we cannot but realize V 
the superiority of sculpture to painting. Zeuxis and \ 
Apelles were in their day what Raphael and Guido are 
in ours, but there remains not a single work which they 
executed ; and yet here are the beautiful creations of 
Grecian sculpture, as fresh as they were twenty cen- 
turies ago. The marble has faithfully retained its 
trust, and we gaze upon it now as when it came from 
the artist's hands. 

But Rome is still a sepulchre of beauty, and it is im- 
possible to tell what treasures may yet be hid beneath 
its ruins. Pliny informs us, that the number of statues 
was equal to that of the inhabitants, and many are now 
doubtless covered by the heaps of rubbish which have 
fallen above them. The elevation of the ground 
throughout the city, is firom fifteen to twenty feet 



78 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

above its original level, and no excavation ever is 
made without disinterring some remains of antiquity. 
Several of the ancient baths are still unopened ; and, 
could the Tiber be for a time diverted from its course, 
there is no doubt but that in its bed would be found 
many treasures of art, which were buried beneath its 
waters when the city was so often plundered by bar- 
barous enemies. The offer to undertake this work has 
several times been made to the Papal government, but 
was always declined. Raphael proposed in his day a 
plan for a thorough exploration, but the authorities had 
not energy enough to adopt it. Had Napoleon con- 
quered in Russia, he intended to have made a tri- 
umphal entry into Rome for the purpose of being 
crowned in St. Peter's, and then the scheme of Raph- 
ael would have been put in execution. 

There are but fifty pictures in the Vatican, but one of 
them is a painting allowed to be the first in the world, 
— "The Transfiguration," by Raphael. I know not 
why it was, but my first impressions were those of dis- 
appointment, perhaps because my expectations had 
been raised too high. The colors, too, are said to 
have somewhat changed since it came from the hand 
of its great master. After seeing in France and Italy 
the chef d^oeuvres of the first artists of different ages, 
and realizing that Raphael was the noblest of them all, 
I expected, perhaps, when I looked upon his master- 
piece, to see more than human genius can ever exe- 
cute. But every moment since, it has grown upon me, 
until I felt ready to subscribe to the decision which 
pronounced it the greatest triumph the pencil ever has 
achieved. No words can describe the aerial lightness 
with which the figures of the Saviour and the two 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 79 

Prophets seem suspended in the air. They appear 
floating on the clouds, while around them is spread 
an effulgence of glory, which nowhere else have colors 
been able to produce. The Apostles are on the ground 
below, veiling their faces, as if smitten down, and " daz- 
zled with excess of brightness." But it was on the head 
of the Saviour that Raphael lavished all his power, at- 
tempting to invest Him with a majesty and beauty — to 
array Him with an air of Divinity — which would 
make this the very perfection of art. There is but one 
that can compare with it, and that the countenance of 
our Lord in Leonardo da Vinci's " Last Supper " at 
Milan. There, indeed, the artist left the head imper- 
fect, because he could not realize his conception of the 
celestial beauty it ought to possess. Yet, unfinished as 
it is, it expresses all we can imagine. 

We have already in this chapter spoken of the char- 
acteristics of Michael Angelo ; Raphael we regard as 
his perfect contrast. It has been well remarked, that 
the former seemed to have imbibed the spirit of the Old 
Testament, and the latter that of the New. Every- 
thing recorded of Raphael appears to develop a loveli- 
ness of disposition most foreign to the stem character 
of his great rival. Idolized by his friends, he seemed 
formed for the fullest display of every social affection. 
Beauty was the element and atmosphere in which he 
lived, and his most pleasant occupation was to transfer 
the loveliness of woman to his almost breathing canvas. 
There it still awakens our admiration as no other pro- 
ductions of the pencil can, for the centuries which have 
passed sent forth no rival to eclipse his fame. And 
when he portrayed subjects of a sacred character, his 
work appeals at once to our affections. With the spirit 



80 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

of St. John he painted the Saviour of the world, and 
we recognize in the portrait which he has drawn, One 
who can be '' touched with the feehng of our infirmi- 
ties." His pictures therefore teach the lessons of our 
faith. 

" The Transfiguration " was Raphael's last work, and 
before it was completed he was cut off, at the early age 
of thirty-seven. But seldom for centuries past — if we 
may credit the account of those who saw it — had 
Rome witnessed a scene like that which took place on 
the sweet April day, when this divinest painter of the 
age was borne to his rest in the Pantheon. Yet before 
that solemn march began — that march which knows 
no return — his body was laid in state, with this his 
masterpiece suspended over it, the last traces of his 
hand still visible on the canvas. 

" And when all beheld 
Him where he lay, how changed from yesterday, — 
Him in that hour cut off, and at his head 
His last great work ; when, entering in, they looked 
Now on the dead, then on that masterpiece — 
Now on his face, lifeless and colorless. 
Then on those forms divine that lived and breathed, 
And would live on for ages, — all were moved, 
And sighs burst forth, and loudest lamentations." 




CHAPTER VII. 

PRESENTATION AT THE PAPAL COURT. THE POPEDOM. 

PRIVATE LIFE OF THE POPES. 

0-DAY we were presented to his Holiness 
Pope Gregory XVI. by our Consul, through 
whom, as we have no minister at the Papal 
Court, all the necessary arrangements are 
made. So many holydays and other public festivals 
are continually occurring, that it is necessary to make 
application some time before, and we had been for 
several weeks waiting his Holiness' leisure. The re- 
quired costume is the same as on other occasions, — 
the ladies in black, with black veils over their heads, 
the gentlemen also in full dress of black. The only 
difference is that boots are forbidden, — a very disa- 
greeable arrangement, as passing in thin shoes and 
silk stockings through the cold galleries of the Vati- 
can, and over the marble floors, an invalid would be 
very apt to take a cold, for which his introduction to 
the successor of St Peter would hardly be considered 
a sufficient compensation. 

Twenty-two hours of the day,^ that is, three o'clock 

1 The Roman day counts its hours from 1 to 24, beginning at sundown. 
As this is rather indefinite for a starting-point, and from its daily change 
would be very inconvenient, the Cardinal who presides over this depart- 
ment, issues a public ordinance, decreeing at what hour the sun ought to 
set. At this season of the year he places it at 5 p. m. Three o'clock in the 
afternoon, therefore, is twenty -two hours of the day. 



82 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

in the afternoon, was the time appointed, and punctual 
to the hour, we assembled in a httle room adjoining 
the Sistine Chapel, where we remained till our com- 
pany had all arrived. Here hats and cloaks were de- 
posited, and the Consul drilled us after a few instruc- 
tions, as to how we were to bow when we walked in, 
and how we were to bow when we backed out, and 
other matters of equal moment in the etiquette of the 
Papal Court. Presently a servant in livery appeared, 
to conduct us to the anteroom ; the procession formed 
and marshaled by him, we were led up-stairs, and on 
— on through the long halls and corridors, till we 
reached the Hall of Maps, so called because its walls 
are covered with huge maps, painted in fi-esco in 1581 
by an Archbishop of Alatri, and which are now curi- 
ous, as showing the geographical knowledge of that 
day. 

Here we were left for nearly an hour. These 
vast galleries are always cold, even in the mildest 
weather, and as this happened to be one of the most 
severe days we had experienced while in Italy, and 
we were not exactly in costume for such an atmos- 
phere, we were anything but comfortable. A large 
brazier filled with coals (the usual method here of 
warming an apartment) stood at one end, round 
which the ladies gathered ; the gentlemen walked 
about to keep themselves warm ; while some of the 
younger members of the party, having no fear of the 
Pope and the Vatican before their eyes, to keep their 
blood from congealing, most irreverently ran races up 
and down the gallery. This, by the way, being four 
hundred and twenty feet long, seemed admirably 
adapted for such purposes. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 83 

At length the usher in attendance walked in and 
announced that II Padre Santo was ready to receive 
us. The presentation was very differerent from what 
I had expected, having lately read the account of one 
in which there was much ceremony — the guards at 
the doors — the anteroom filled with officers of the 
Court — and the mace-bearers heralding the way. 
Everything with us was very informal, and with the 
exception of the usher and two servants at the door, 
we saw no attendants. In we marched in procession, 
headed by the Consul in frill uniform ; the ladies next, 
the gentlemen bringing up the rear, and found our- 
selves in a long room, at the upper end of which, 
leaning against a table, stood the two hundred and 
fifty-eighth successor of St. Peter. We bowed as we 
entered the door — again when we reached the middle 
of the room — and a third time when we came oppo- 
site to the Pope. This at least is all that is required 
of those who '' worship God after the way which they 
call heresy." The true members of the Church of 
Rome, instead of bowing, kneel three times, and end 
by kissing either the hand or the embroidered slipper 
of his Holiness. It is said, that when Horace Wal- 
pole was presented to Benedict XIV. he stood for a 
moment in a posture of hesitation, when the Pope, 
who was remarkable for cheerfrilness and humor, ex- 
claimed, '' Kneel down, my son ; receive the blessing 
of an old man ; it will do you no harm ! " upon which 
the yoimg traveller immediately fell on his knees. 
Kissing the Pope's foot is not so easily justified, al- 
though the usual explanation given is, that it is to the 
cross on the slipper th^^i; the homage is paid. But 
what business has the cross in such a situation ? It is 



84 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

curious, too, that a somewhat similar reason was given 
for this ceremony under the old Roman Emperors. 
Calisfula was the first who offered his foot to be kissed 
by those who approached him, and we find Seneca de- 
claiming upon it as the last affront to liberty, and the 
introduction of a Persian slavery into the manners of 
Rome. Those, on the contrary, who endeavored to 
excuse it, asserted that it was not done out of inso- 
lence, but vanity, that he might, by this means, display 
his golden slipper set with jewels. 

After we were presented and had ranged ourselves 
in a semicircle around him, he commenced at once an 
animated conversation with the Consul, which gave 
us an opportunity of quietly studying his appearance 
and manner. He was dressed in his every-day cos- 
tume : a white flannel robe, with a cape buttoned 
down before, and very similar to that worn by some 
orders of the monks ; a little white skull-cap on his 
head, and red morocco slippers, on the instep of each 
of which was wrought the gold cross. His snuff-box 
(another cross on its lid) was in constant use, while 
ne laughed and talked in the most sociable manner. 
Notwithstanding his age — being over eighty — he 
seems a hale, hearty old man, whom I should not 
have imagined to be more than sixty. He looked 
very differently from what he did in the public ser- 
vices of St. Peter's, when I supposed him to be feeble, 
and it is probable that the Cardinals whose heads are 
aching for the Tiara, will have to wait some years be- 
fore the aspirations of any one of them is gratified. 
There is, however, nothing intellectual in his counte- 
nance — nothing which marks him as one worthy in 
this respect to sit in the seat of Hildebrand. His feat- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 85 

ures are exceedingly heavy — the nose too large and 
drooping — and the general expression of the eyes one 
of sleepiness. The impression produced upon my 
mind was that of good-nature. During the whole au- 
dience there was nothino* to remind me that he was the 
head of so large a portion of the Christian world — still 
less, that he was a temporal prince to whom many mil- 
lions owed subjection. 

After inquiring what parts of the country we came 
from, and whether all things had become quiet in Phil- 
adelphia (alluding to the riots of last summer), he 
suddenly turned to us, and asked, — " What do you 
intend to do with Texas ? " It was certainly a curious 
place in which to hear a discussion of this question, 
but the Pope seemed to feel as much interest in the 
matter as if he had been one of our own Southern 
politicians. His knowledge of the geography of our 
country rather surprised me at the time, but I after- 
wards learned that he had formerly been for many 
years Prefect of the Propaganda, during which time 
the whole foreign correspondence was submitted to 
him, and he is therefore somewhat acquainted with 
those parts of the United States in which there are 
Roman Catholic Missionaries. 

After about twenty minutes there was a pause in 
the conversation, when he bowed to us — rang a small 
bell on the table, I suppose to summon the usher — 
and we commenced, according to etiquette, backing 
out of the room. The Pope, however, immediately 
walked into the recess of a window near him — his 
usual custom, I am told, to relieve strangers fi^om the 
awkwardness of so singular a mode of exit — and we 
were thus enabled to turn our backs to him and 
leave the apartment in the ordinary way. 



86 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

At the close of a presentation it is customaiy for 
the Pope to bless the rosaries, crucifixes, medals, etc., 
which have been brought for that purpose. An attend- 
ant, therefore, was at hand to receive them, and some 
of the party having come well provided, the articles 
were carried in to his Holiness, and in a short time 
brought out again with the additional value they had 
received from their consecration. 

Nothing can be so joyless as the life of the Sover- 
eign Pontiff. Weighed down as he is by cares and 
business, with no means of recreation, the quiet and 
seclusion of the cloister would be a happy exchange. 
They who only think of him as a temporal monarch, 
or witness his splendor amidst the ceremonies of the 
Chui'ch, know little of the dull uniformity in which 
his days are passed. Four centuries ago, the Popes, 
in consideration of their temporal sovereignty, dis- 
played in their palaces the same magnificence and fes- 
tivity which are witnessed at other courts. The old 
chronicles describe to us fetes, and pageants, and tour- 
naments, which certainly displayed more of the spirit 
of this world than of the next. But now a character 
of austerity seems outwardly, at least, to mark the Pon- 
tifical Court. The vast and gloomy apartments of the 
Vatican are deserted, and as you pass through them 
you meet no one but the officials of the Palace, or 
some ecclesiastic gliding along with a subdued look 
and noiseless step. You might imagine yourself in a 
monastery of Carthusians. The Pope, indeed, is at all 
times the slave of the most rigid etiquette. The 
heavy robes of his office trammel his steps, and he 
leads a life of restraint and confinement. A walk in 
the formal gardens of the Vatican or Quirinal ; a 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 87 

quiet ride among the mournful ruins of former ages ; 
or a visit to some church filled perhaps with monu- 
ments which announce how short were the reigns of 
his predecessors, are his only sources of relaxation 
without the walls of his own palace.^ 

In the days of Leo X. the hours which were spent 
around the table of the Pontiff were devoted to the 
highest social enjoyment. While literature was reviv- 
ing, it was there that its progress was discussed, and 
plans were canvassed and hints given, which con- 
stantly suggested to this Sovereign of the House of 
Medici, new schemes for restoring its former glory. 
Philosophers, orators, and artists, gathered there ; 
genius was encouraged to attempt its loftiest flight ; 
and the poet sang his noblest verses to the music of 
the sweet lyre, certain of a favorable audience. The 
deep mysteries of science, and the lighter graces of 
literature found equal favor with the princely Leo, and 
in his presence the subtle alchemist from the far East 
and the gay troubadour of Provence, were seen side 
by side. There seemed then to be an inspiration in 
those saloons, and from the halls of the Vatican the 
new Augustan age first dawned upon the world. So 
it had been before at Avignon, and as we explored the 
ruined palace of the Popes, we thought more of Pe- 
trarch who came thither ifrom Vaucluse to recite his 
sweet sonnets, than we did of the Pontiif and Cardi- 
nals w^hose applause he sought to wdn. But now this 
too is changed, and custom requires that the table of 
the Pope should be occupied by himself alone. His 
repasts are solitary, unenlivened even by friendly con- 
verse. In many respects, indeed, this change is a 

1 Eustace, Class, Tour, vol. iii. p. 346. 



88 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

favorable one, and the austerity of the present day far 
better becomes the head of the Roman Church than 
the gay pageantry of the former centuries, yet it ne- 
cessarily makes his life solitary and cheerless. 

Elected as the Popes are at an advanced age, they 
must of course follow each other in rapid succession. 
Gregory XVI. therefore, having been elected in 1831, 
has had a longer reign than usual. He is not a man 
of great talents or remarkable for any particular traits 
which pointed him out for the office, but was elected, 
as is frequently the case, amidst the strife of parties. 
On such occasions, some inoffensive, unexceptionable 
person, generally of advanced age, is chosen. He 
seems to share fully in all the antiquated prejudices of 
his Church, and has lately issued an edict forbidding 
all railroads within the Paipal dominions. It was pro- 
posed to construct one from Rome to Naples, and the 
King of Naples was very anxious to have it under- 
taken. In fact, during the winter he arrived at Rome 
and it was stated that this was the object of his visit ; 
but the Pope was inexorable. The Court fears its 
subjects having too great facilities for travelling, lest a 
further acquaintance with the world might shake their 
faith. And yet Rome is supported almost entirely by 
the money of foreigners, and should all visitors aban- 
don it for three years, the city would be given up to 
famine. 

What a strange spectacle does this history of the 
Popedom present ! Aged men, reigning but a short 
time — insulated individuals, deriving no claim from 
relationship to those who went before them, and yet, 
amidst all the changes of the world, bequeathing their 
authority to those who came after them. The un- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 89 

broken line stretches back from him whom we saw to- 
day in the Vatican, to those Bishops '' appointed unto 
death " who ruled the Christians of the Imperial City 
when they met in the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, or 
died as martyrs in the Flavian amphitheatre. Per- 
haps seventeen centuries ago some of the predecessors 
of Gregory XVI., as they saw in the distance the 
smoke of heathen sacrifice ascend from the temple of 
the Capitoline Jupiter, were unconsciously standing on 
the very spot where their own magnificent St. Peter's 
was afterwards to be founded. Yet great as is the 
change in their situation, is it not equally so in the 
manner in which they bear the Apostolic office ? 
Would Clemens, "whose name " — St. Paul tells us 
— '' was written in the Book of Life," have recog- 
nized as his successors, the lordly prelates of the Mid- 
dle Ages — trampling on the necks of kings, and 
crushing thrones with a rod of iron ? Alas ! before 
the days of Christian unity return, Rome must go 
back to earlier principles, remembering the heritage 
of suffering which once she received, and by which 
she grew to greatness. Laying aside her diadem, and 
resuming once more her ancient crown of thorns, the 
world must see her, sitting no longer so lordly, but 
rather ready to rejoice if again she should be counted 
worthy to suffer. Then, when purified by trial, she 
goes forth to her holy work, poor Humanity will greet 
her with joy, as she comes preaching the gospel of 
peace. Yea, the Churches of the world will make 
answer to her call, as they welcome her to their fellow- 
ship, feeling that again, after long centuries of war- 
fare, with one mouth and one heart they can all pro- 
fess the "faith which was once delivered unto the 
saints." 



CHAPTER VIII. 



A day's ramble in ROME. 




E have been out to-day, rambling about 
from one scene of interest to another, with 
no fixed plan, but wandering in accordance 
with the suo-D-estion of the moment. There 
is one advantage in Rome, which is, that from our 
childhood we have been familiar with pictures and 
models of its antiquities, so that we recognize them 
at once. A guide-book is scarcely necessary. We 
are already acquainted with the story of each old 
ruin, and want nothing but a map to conduct us to the 
spot. 

. We first sought for the Pantheon, through the nar- 
row, dirty streets which have been built up around it. 
So crowded indeed are the modern habitations, that it 
is impossible to find a spot from which this unrivaled 
edifice can be properly viewed. Eighteen centuries 
ago it was looked upon as faultless, and criticism since 
has been unable to urge an objection. In the reign 
of Augustus there were gathered within its walls stat- 
ues of the gods, in gold, silver, bronze, and precious 
marbles. Since then it has been plundered of all that 
could be carried off, — the statues that graced its cor- 
nice, the bronze which adorned its dome, and the 
silver that lined the compartments of its roof within ; 
yet its faultless proportions remain, the wonder of 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 91 

every age. The original inscription on the front still 
records that it was erected by Agrippa, and when we 
enter, we stand on the same marble pavement once 
trodden by Augustus. Its rotunda was so well adapted 
to the change, that with scarcely an alteration it passed 
from heathen worship to be used as a Christian church. 
Not only was Michael Angelo proud to copy it in the 
dome of St. Peter's, but even Constantinople is in- 
debted to it for the plan of St. Sophia. Its spoils too 
are dispersed about the city. Its bronze forms the 
Balacchino^ or grand canopy over the altar in St. 
Peter's ; the basaltic lions which guarded the en- 
trance now adorn the Acqua Felice^ fountain of Sextus 
V. ; and the beautiful porphyry sarcophagus which 
once stood in the portico, has been removed by the 
Corsini to their chapel in St. John Lateran, and instead 
of the ashes of Agrippa, now holds that of Clement 
XII. 

Above is a circular opening, through which alone 
the light is admitted, and the interior therefore reflects 
every change in the atmosphere. The flush of morn, 
the golden radiance of noon, the purple hue which 
fills the air as the sun is going down, the gray twi- 
light, and the passing shadow of the darkening tem- 
pest, all are repeated and mirrored on the antique 
marbles within. At night, too, it is strange to stand in 
this solemn temple, and see the stars shining brightly 
in the deep azure above, and the moon flooding the 
whole firmament with her glory, or seeming to chase 
the clouds which are rapidly flying past. And al- 
though the rain pours in year after year, and the 
Tiber at times in its overflow reaches the pavement, 
yet this beautiful relic of antiquity seems to defy alike 



92 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

the elements and the inroads of time. We see it in- 
deed in its '' disastrous twilight," for the ages which 
have gone have dimmed its brightness ; yet it may well 
be questioned, whether the deep and mellow tints it 
has received from passing centuries do not impart a 
majesty it did not possess in the time of its early glory. 
It has too in our day a nobler consecration than when 
it was devoted to the gods of the old mythology. 
The niches which once their statues filled, are now 
occupied by the busts of those who w^ere distinguished 
for genius or talent. '' The dearest hope," says 
Corinne, '' that the lovers of glory cherish, is that 
of obtaining a place here." Yet the visitor will pass 
the tombs of Winkelman, Metastasio, Poussin, and 
Annabal Carracci, to pause before a plain inscription 
on the wall, which tells us that Raphael is buried be- 
low. What a fit sepulchre for him, the divinest 
painter of his age, who died — not in the fullness 
of his years, but in the fullness of his powers — just 
living long enough to show the world how much it 
had lost ! 

But of such a building all descriptions are useless. 
The words of poetry seem more appropriate, and 
Childe Harold has summed up everything in a couple 
of stanzas : — 

" Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime — 
Shrine of all saints and temple of all gods, 
From Jove to Jesus — spared and blest by time ; 
Looking tranquillity, while falls or nods 
Arch, empire, each thing round thee, and man plods 
His way through thorns to ashes — glorious dome ! 
Shalt thou not last? Time's scythe and tyrant's rods 
Shiver upon thee — sanctuary and home 

Of art and piety — Pantheon ! — pride of Rome ! 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 93 

*' Relic of nobler days, and noblest arts ! 
Despoil' d yet perfect, with thy circle spreads 
A holiness appealing to all hearts — 
To art a model; and to him who treads 
Rome for the sake of ages, glory sheds 
Her light through thy sole aperture ; to those 
Who worship, here are altars for their beads : 
And they who feel for genius may repose 
Their eyes on honor'd forms, whose busts around them close." 

We turned from it, looking back often to its Corin- 
thian columns, and entering once more the labyrinth of 
narrow alleys, sought for the ruins of Pompey's The- 
atre. But a few massive fragments and arches now 
remain, and the circular shape of the building is prin- 
cipally traced by the manner in which we jfind the 
houses standing, as they were erected upon its founda- 
tions. Having been seized by the Orsini during the 
troubles of the twelfth century, while their strong 
hold, it was entirely leveled by feudal violence. Yet 
in its magnificent portico, which once contained an 
hundred columns, Appian tells us, Brutus sat in judg- 
ment on the morning of Caesar's death, and close by 
was the Senate House, in which — 

" Even at the base of Pompey's statue 
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell." 

From this spot so rich in historical recollections, we 
wound our way through the narrow and dirty Ghetto, 
which is allotted to the Jews. " Sufferance is the 
badge of all their tribe," and here the despised and 
oppressed Israelites must indeed realize it. In the 
midst of filth and noisome smells they are crowded 
together, restricted to this section of the city, while 
soldiers mount guard at the gates, which are every 
night closed and kept locked till morning. Even dur- 



94 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

ing a great inundation of the Tiber, when all this 
quarter of the city was under water, their petition for 
a change of residence was denied. As there happened 
to be no danger of their drowning, they were not per- 
mitted to escape until the regular time of opening the 
gates in the morning, nor at night were they allowed 
to seek refuge in any other place. Some of them are 
wealthy, but the meanest beggar who sleeps in the sun 
on the Scala di Spagna^ if he pretend to be a Chris- 
tian, thinks himself at liberty to spurn them from his 
path, nor does the smitten Jew dare even to remon- 
strate. With the Carnival comes their more public 
degradation. When the bell sounds to announce the 
beginning of the Festival, a deputation of their oldest 
members ascend to the Capitol, and there kneeling 
bareheaded before the Senator, ask permission for their 
people to reside for the ensuing year in Rome. This 
is granted them, on condition that they pay the ex- 
penses of the Carnival, and furnish the prizes, which 
are generally pieces of gay velvet. Even this is an 
improvement on their former state ; for in old times 
they were obliged at this season themselves to run in 
races through the Corso, while the people shouted in 
derision as " the Jew dogs " exerted themselves for 
their amusement. Now they perform this by proxy, 
and hire the horses which exhibit. They are com- 
pelled also once in the year to be present in one of the 
Churches at a service which is intended for their ex- 
press conversion. Where it is held we did not learn, 
though just -without the gates of the Ghetto is a 
Church, having on its portal in Hebrew an inscription 
from Isaiah Ixv. 2, *' I have spread out my hands all 
the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 95 

way that was not good, after their own thoughts." 
The situation of this Church would be convenient for 
the purpose, though the inscription is by no means 
compHmentary or inviting. The Saturday before 
Easter is appointed for the baptism of the new con- 
verts, who have the honor of receiving that rite at St. 
John Lateran, in the porphyry vase which is said to 
have been used for the Emperor Constantino in the 
same service. Subjects are always found, although 
the unbelievers in Rome whisper, that one proselyte 
has appeared so often on this occasion, that he is now 
regarded as a regular part of the pageant. 

We went through their quarter, where the lofty 
houses seemed bending over to meet each other from 
opposite sides of the narrow street. The shops were 
filled with the usual miscellaneous assortment of goods 
characteristic of the children of Israel — rags, old 
clothes, scraps of iron, worn-out umbrellas, and house- 
hold utensils of all kinds. Every part was swarming 
like a perfect hive ; men and women looking out of the 
windows, and children of all ages sprawling about the 
doors. Their countenances would anywhere have pro- 
claimed their descent, as they screamed and gibbered 
to us, offering their petty wares for sale, and with the 
most forcible gesticulations inviting us to enter their 
shops. But with them how strangely different do the 
two extremes of life appear ! The black-haired, black- 
eyed children grow up into beautiful maidens, and then 
change again to be perfectly hag-like in age, as if 
Nature was thus revenging herself for the prodigality 
with which her early favors were lavished. 

As we left the Ghetto, we passed the ruins of the 
Theatre of Marcellus, its Doric columns still standing, 



96 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

embedded, as it were, in the neighboring houses, when 
suddenly we found ourselves in front of the old Palace 
of the Orsini. We knew it at once by the gigantic 
bear — the crest of the family — sculptured in stone on 
each side of the portal, and it reminded us of their old 
war-cry, '^ Beware the bear's hug ! " which for ages 
sounded so often through the streets of Rome, as they 
met in conflict the adherents of the rival house of Co- 
lonna. Their old baronial Castle of Bracciano, twenty- 
five miles from Rome, is the finest of the kind in Italy. 
Vast in extent, lighted by Gothic windows, still con- 
taining the family portraits, the silk hangings, the anti- 
quated furniture, and the armorial bearings of the 
Orisini, it is a complete picture of a feudal residence 
in the fifteenth century. It was the first place in the 
vicinity of Rome which Sir Walter Scott expressed any 
anxiety to visit, and he spent a day there listenhig with 
interest to the history of the turbulent lords of this 
ancient fortress. In the beginning of this century it 
w^as sold to Torlonia, the Pope's banker, who com- 
menced life as a peddler, and whose son now holds it, 
deriving: from the estate the old feudal title once borne 
by the Orsini — Duke of Bracciano. 

We were looking, however, for the Temple of Vesta, 
and found its situation to agree with the description of 
Horace in the Ninth Satire, where he represents it as 
lying in his way from the Via Sacra to the Gardens of 
Caesar trans Tiberim. But, when we reached it on the 
banks of the river, it needed no guide to inform us that 
this was the object of our search. There it was, so 
small, and light, and beautiful, that it seemed as if it 
might have been borne through the air by angels, as 
the legend tells us was done with our Lady's Holy 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 97 

Chapel at Loretto. The wonder is, that it could have 
remained for so many ages, when massive buildings 
around were swept away. Yet, of its twenty Corin- 
thian columns, only one is gone, and the Kttle circular 
temple, with the pillars round it, is as graceful and ele- 
gant as when first erected. It was, indeed, worthy of its 
purpose ; for among all the rites of ancient heathenism, 
there were none so pure and poetical as these. Here 
watched the consecrated virgins, whose care was only 
to tend the sacred fire. Noble by birth, the true fulfill- 
ment of their vow entitled them to loftier honors than 
mere nobility could claim ; while, if they erred, theirs 
was a fearful death by which they paid the penalty of 
sin. There is more romance still lingering about this 
little temple than all the other antiquities of Rome. 

Near the Temple of Vesta is that of Fortuna Virilis, 
whose Ionic columns, half buried in the earth, still show 
what it must have been in the beauty of its early day. 
While we were looking at it, one of the crowd of ragged 
young guides, who had been running round us with the 
most profuse offers of their services, pointed out a house 
in the neighborhood as that of Rienzi. The name at- 
tracted our attention, and upon examining the build- 
ing, we found that it was the one which tradition has 
always marked out as the residence of '' the last of the 
Tribunes," ^ — he of whom Lord Byron speaks as '' the 
hope of Italy — redeemer of dark centuries of shame." 
The edifice is a strange mixture of all kinds of archi- 
tecture. A long inscription is deciphered by antiqua- 

1 *' The first stars of night shone down on the ancient Temple of Fortuna 
Virilis, which the chances of time had already converted into the Church of 
St. Mary of Eg}^pt; and facing the twice hallowed edifice stood the house of 
Rienzi. 'It is a fair omen to have my mansion facing the ancient Temple 
of Fortune,' said Rienzi, smiling." — Bulwer's Rienzi. 
7 



98 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

rians as setting forth the pompous titles of Rienzi, while 
another on the architrave of one of the windows is 
ascribed to Petrarch. He was in Rome during the 
Jubilee, and may at that time have caused it to be 
affixed. We know that his admiration of Rienzi was 
great, and he was the " Spirto Gentile " of his beauti- 
ful Canzone, " Itaha mia." The friendship, however, 
of the poet for the Tribune was the source of many 
trials to the former. In his distant retreat at Vaucluse 
he heard of the revolution which had been effected at 
^Rome, and, animated by his love of freedom, addressed 
to the bold reformer an epistle, in which he exhorts 
him to complete the good work faithfully, remembering 
that the world and posterity were his judges. But, un- 
fortunately, the old Cardinal Colonna was Petrarch's 
great patron, and when in the struggle which ensued at 
Rome, between the barons and the new power, six of 
the Colonnas perished, the poet seems scarcely to have 
known with which party to side. At length he wrote 
a tardy letter of consolation to the Cardinal, in which 
we can see most clearly the struggle in the mind be- 
tween his gratitude to the family, and his sense of 
higher obligations to Italy. 

In full view of this building stands the massive Arch 
of Janus Quadrifons, which in the Middle Ages under- 
went the usual fate of these monuments, and was trans- 
formed into a fortress by the Frangipani family. The 
remains of the battlements of brick work, which they 
erected on its top, are still visible. It is, indeed, strange, 
when we remember the use to which these buildings 
were then put by the great Roman families, that so 
many of them have survived to our day. Besides this 
Arch, the Frangipani seized on the Coliseum ; the Or- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 99 

sini on the Tomb of Hadrian and the Theatre of Pom- 
pey ; the Colonna family on the Mausoleum of Augustus 
and the Baths of Constantino ; the Tomb of Coecilia 
Metella was converted into a fortress by the Savelli 
and the Gastani ; the ruins of the Capitol were held by 
the Corsi ; the Quirinal by the Conti, and the Pantheon 
by the garrison of the Popes. 

Nor is much greater respect for antiquities shown in 
the present day. The magnificent remains of the Tem- 
ple of Antoninus Pius are now converted into the Do- 
gana, or Custom House, while its portico — one of the 
noblest of ancient Rome — is walled up to form maga- 
zines. The Mausoleum of Augustus is degraded into a 
wretched Circus, where the spectators sit round on 
wooden seats as in an amphitheatre, while beneath them 
are the vaults in which once rested the remains of Au- 
gustus, and Livia, and Tiberius. In the wall is inserted 
a slab of marble, w^hich their grateful fellow-citizens 
have placed in honor of divers actors and equestrians, 
who there covered themselves with immortal glory in 
the presence of admiring thousands ! And yet, this is 
the tomb hallowed by the touching lines of Virgil, 
which he wrote when the young Marcellus became its 
first occupant ! But a still more curious scene may be 
witnessed by one who will take the trouble to wind his 
way through the narrow streets and alleys which lead 
to the fish-market. There, almost every stall has for 
its counter a slab of marble, taken from some antique 
monument or temple, and sprats and gudgeons are 
flouncing about upon old Latin inscriptions, w^hich else- 
where would be a treasure to the antiquary. Here, 
however, their very abundance deprives them of in- 
terest. About the market-place, too, are ancient 



100 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

columns, the inscriptions on which show that they were 
of the age of Antoninus. 

Every place, indeed, teems with the relics of old 
Rome's magnificence. Pillars and cornices,' richly 
sculptured, are seen masoned into the walls of the most 
common houses. Granite and porphyry pillars are so 
plentiful that they cease to have any value. In the 
churches are ornaments torn from Pagan temples, 
which there produce often a most incongruous effect. 
That of St. John Lateran is filled with marble columns, 
from the tomb of Hadrian and the Capitol, on which 
the old emblems still remain. Some have carved upon 
them the geese which preserved the city, others Gothic 
and Arabic ornaments. In St. Agnes, bas-relief s^ turned 
for convenience face downward, are used to form a 
staircase. These are the sights which meet us on 
every side. 

But to return to our excursion. We were now upon 
the verge of the modern city, and before us was the 
more open country, with the scattered ruins of ancient 
Rome. We liad already advanced further than we first 
intended, yet induced by the beauty of the weather we 
still went on, one object of interest leading us to an- 
other. We found ourselves near the Cloaca Maxima 
— those immense sewers said to have been built by 
Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, only one 
hundred and fifty years after the foundation of the city. 
Livy, Strabo, and Dionysius, all describe them as evi- 
dences of Roman greatness. Pliny, nearly eighteen 
centuries ago, recorded his admiration, and expressed 
surprise that they had lasted eight hundred years unin- 
jured. Ancient authors tell us that a cart loaded with 
hay could pass under the arch ; and when Agrippa 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 101 

cleansed them in the reign of Augustus, he went 
through them m a boat, to which PHny probably al- 
ludes in the expression, " urbs subter navigata." 

To my mind, however, the existence of these works is 
one proof tliat there was a city on this spot long before 
the days of Romulus. I number them with those traces 
we here and there find of earlier ages of a mysterious 
civilization which in Italy preceded the birth of Rome 
— a period when the massive Etruscan tombs were 
built, and those temples were reared in Paestum, which 
two thousand years ago the Romans were accustomed 
to visit as antiquities. And I am happy to find that 
such is the view which Ferguson has given in his his- 
tory. " These works," he says, " are still supposed to 
remain ; but as they exceed the power and resources 
of the present city to keep them in repair, they are 
quite concealed, except at one or two places. They 
were, in the midst of Roman greatness, and still are, 
reckoned among the wonders of the world, and yet 
they are said to have been works of the elder Tarquin, 
a prince whose territory did not extend, in any direc- 
tion, above sixteen miles ; and on this supposition they 
must have been made to accommodate a city that was 
calculated chiefly for the reception of cattle, herdsmen, 
and banditti. Rude nations sometimes execute w^orks 
of great magnificence, as fortresses and temples, for the 
purposes of war and superstition ; but seldom palaces, 
and still more seldom works of mere convenience and 
cleanliness, in which, for the most part, they are long 
defective. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to question 
the authority of tradition in respect to this singular 
monument of antiquity, which so greatly exceeds what 
the best accommodated city of modern Europe could 



102 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

undertake for its own convenience. And as these 
works are still entire, and may continue so for thou- 
sands of years, it may be suspected, that they were even 
prior to the settlement of Romulus, and may have been 
the remains of a more ancient city, on the ruins of 
which the followers of Romulus settled, as the Arabs 
now hut or encamp on the ruins of Palmyra and Bal- 
beck. Livy owns that the common sewers were not 
accommodated to the plan of Rome, as it was laid out 
in his time ; they were carried in directions across the 
streets, and passed under buildings of the greatest an- 
tiquity. This derangement, indeed, he imputes to the 
hasty rebuilding of the city after its destruction by the 
Gauls ; but haste, it is probable, would have determined 
the people to build on their old foundations, or at least 
not to change them so much as to cross the direction 
of former streets." ^ 

At this day, these massive works are as entire as 
when the foundations were first laid, and are a lasting 
memorial of the solidity of Etruscan architecture. The 
huge blocks, put together without cement, still stand un- 
moved, and the archway, fourteen feet high by as many 
broad, expands before us as it did to the view of the 
Romans, twenty-five centuries ago. Yet above it is 
a bright, clear spring, the Acqua Argentina, or Silver 
Water, which comes bubbling forth and disappears 
under the old arch, while its beautiful stream is the 
more delightful, because we scarcely expect to meet 
with it in a spot intended for such different purposes. 

We were now near the ruined palace of the Caesars, 
but passed it, winding around the base of the Palatine 
Mount, attracted by the gigantic arches of the Baths of 

1 Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic^ bk. i. ch. i. note. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 103 

Caracalla, which lie still further beyond. They are 
situated on the eastern slope of the Aventine, and next 
to the Coliseum are the most massive remains of 
ancient Rome. More than a mile in circuit, they are 
a perfect labyrinth of magnificent ruins. They con- 
sisted originally of six enormous halls, above two hun- 
dred feet in height, the crumbling walls of which alone 
remain, while the deep blue sky above is their sole 
canopy. The interior stretches out like vast lawns, on 
which some elms have grown up, spreading their 
branches till they touch the ruined walls. In one of 
the ancient buttresses still remains a winding staircase, 
by which you can ascend to the top of these lofty 
arches, and there pass around among the broken 
masses which rise like mountains, sometimes treading 
on the very verge of a deep chasm, and then climbing 
some crag, whose rough masonry is entirely overgrown 
with foliage and vegetation. Yet in all this there seems 
to be no air of desolation. Everything is softened 
down and veiled by the luxuriance of nature. Wher- 
ever the stones are reft asunder, a perfect wilderness 
of flowering shrubs has filled up the chasm, covering 
the roughness of the shattered sides. The myrtle, the 
bay, and the white blossoms of the laurustinus, are en- 
twined with the profusion of creeping vines, which are 
produced in this luxuriant soil. 

We sat down on a block of marble, and thought of 
the past. What a scene of splendor was this in its 
early day — in those years when the Romans, ener- 
vated by luxury, sought out daily new pleasures, and 
were fast preparing for their " decline and fall ! " And 
yet to-day we were treading on the mouldering ruins 
of all this old magnificence, and except the custode ap- 



104 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

pearing occasionally through some shattered arch, not 
a living creature was seen to break in upon the soli- 
tude. Lofty arches, with ivy clinging to them in every 
direction, and hanging in deep festoons ; wide saloons, 
where formerly the gay thousands of Roman citizens 
gathered ; mosaic pavements, as bright and beautiful 
as they were seventeen centuries ago, and representing 
still the athletce of that day; fragments of ancient 
sculpture, — these were around us, covering the hill in 
strange confusion. 

Among these ruins, too, Shelley was accustomed to 
linger, and here were shaped into being those noble 
creations which he has given us in his ''Prometheus 
Unbound." In the preface he says, — " This poem 
was chiefl}^^ written upon the mountainous ruins of the 
Baths of Caracalla, among the flowery glades and 
thickets of odoriferous blossoming trees, which are 
extended in ever-winding labyrinths upon its immense 
platforms, and dizzy arches suspended in the air. The 
bright blue sky of Rome, and the effect of the vigorous 
awakening Spring in that divinest climate, and the new 
life with which it drenches the spirits, even to intoxica- 
tion, were the inspirations of the Drama." 




CHAPTER IX. 

EPIPHANY SERVICES. GREEK RITUAL. THE BAM- 
BINO. VESPERS AT THE PROPAGANDA. 

HE Festival of tlie Epiphany seems to be one 
much honored here, indeed quite as much so 
as that of the Nativity. The churches are all 
thronged, and the day is celebrated by their 
most splendid services. The Pope himself performs 
High Mass in the Sistine Chapel ; but as we had al- 
ready witnessed that service in St. Peter's, we per- 
ferred being present at one which takes place only on 
this single day in the course of the year. 

Among the dignified ecclesiastics residing in Rome, 
are many foreign bishops, such as the Greek, Arme- 
nian, etc. They are to be seen in grand ceremonies, 
forming a part of the processions, and by the variety of 
their costumes, adding to the splendor of the pageant. 
A few days before, in a long conversation with an 
ecclesiastic of the Church of Rome, I endeavored to 
discover the precise position of the Greek Bishop, with 
whom I found he was intimate. He admitted that the 
Bisliop had no jurisdiction at the East, no fixed diocese, 
but said that his duty was to ordain the Greek mission- 
aries sent to those parts from Rome. '' Is his authority 
acknowledged by the Greek Church?" I inquired. 
''Yes," said he, ''by the Cathohc portion of that 
Church, but not by the schismatics." I saw, of course, 



106 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

that lie meant by " the Catholic portion," the few 
Romish missionaries scattered through the East, and 
by " the schismatics," the great body of that Church ; 
and therefore said, — '' Then, to put it in plain language, 
he is looked upon by the Greek Church in the East, as 
Bishop Hughes is regarded by our Church in New 
York, we acknowledging the jurisdiction of another 
bishop ? " He looked at me for a moment with a smile, 
and then replied, — '' Exactly." 

In truth, these foreign bishops, wdth dioceses which 
they have never perhaps seen, are merely retained here 
as parts of the pageants of the Church. They appear 
at the Court of Rome as the spiritual heads of millions 
in the East, who entirely disown their authority and 
have no connection with them, but at the same time, 
with the many strangers here, they strengthen the idea 
of the perfect Catholicity of this Church. They give 
the appearance of a visible unity extending through the 
world, which in reality has no existence. 

In the Via Bahuino stands a church, which, daily as 
I passed it, attracted my attention, from the fact that it 
seemed always to be closed. While every other church 
in Rome has its doors open for any transient w^orship- 
per who may w^ish to offer his devotions, morning, 
noontide, or evening, this was the solitary exception. 
Week days, and festivals, and even Sundays passed, 
and still it was entirely deserted. We now, however, 
found an explanation of the mystery. It is the Church 
of St. Athanasius, subject to the jurisdiction of the 
Greek Bishop, and as there is no one to attend it, is 
only open on a single day in the year. This is on the 
Festival of the Epiphany, when High Mass is performed 
according to the ritual of the Greek Church. We saw 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 107 

it announced in the " Diario di Roma," and having de- 
termined to avail ourselves of what might be the only 
opportunity which would ever occur of witnessing this 
service, we repaired at an early hour to the Church. 
It is quite small, without anything in the architecture 
or paintings to attract attention, and from being so little 
opened, had the damp and chilly feeling of a vault. 
The congregation seemed to be composed almost en- 
tirely of English, drawn like ourselves by curiosity. 

The Greek Bishop entered with a procession, and 
the choir at once commenced their anthem. He is 
not more than forty-five years of age, with a coal- 
black beard covering his breast, and has one of the 
the most noble voices I have ever heard. The cos- 
tumes were all different from those of the Roman 
Church ; the Greek cross instead of the Latin was 
embroidered on every part ; the features and long 
beards of the attending priests plainly showed their 
eastern origin ; and every thing united to give the 
service a peculiarly oriental appearance. The Bishop 
himself came in clothed in purple, and after being 
escorted to his seat, robes of white and gold were 
brought, and his attendants commenced arraying him 
in them. This process occupied nearly half an hour. 
Whenever he took part in the service, a priest knelt 
before him with a large open volume, bound in white 
and gold, from which he chanted his part. 

The service was much longer than the Mass of the 
Roman Church, but composed of the same kind of 
ceremonies, — kneeling, crossing, chanting, the wav- 
ing of censers, and processions of lights. There is, 
however, an evident significancy and meaning in 
some of the ceremonies, w^hich requires but little ex- 



108 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

planation to be understood even by a careless specta- 
tor. For example, the Bishop frequently held up be- 
fore the people branches of lights, that in his right 
hand containing three, and that in his left, two. This 
has been adopted to express their faith in the doctrine 
of the Trinity ; heresies on this subject being those by 
which the Greek Church has been most troubled. 
The three lights signify the Three Persons in the 
Trinity ; and the two lights, the Two distinct Natures 
of our Lord. The High Altar was behind a screen, 
the part immediately in front of it being open. At 
the consecration of the elements, when the Bishop 
was standing before the altar, this was closed by a 
curtain, and for some time his voice only was indis- 
tinctly heard, while he himself was unseen. This 
is a custom which has been for ages adopted in the 
Greek Church. It was at first commenced as a meas- 
ure of precaution, because the rite of Baptism had 
been exposed to public ridicule on the stage, and they 
wished to guard that of the Eucharist from a similar 
profanation. They considered, too, that such mystery 
was conformable to the nature of this solemn Institu- 
tion, and therefore concealed the priest from public 
view, and environed him, as the high priest of old 
when he entered the Holy of Holies, with the awful 
solitude of the sanctuary.^ 

Upon the w^hole, as a mere matter of taste and 
splendor, I prefer the Greek ritual to the Latin. It 
is certainly in some parts more imposing than anything 
we have seen in the Mass of the Roman Church. A 
living writer — whose opinion, however, must be taken 
with some allowance, on account of his overweening 

1 Eustace, Classical Tour, vol. ii. p. 40. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 109 

admiration of Rome — thus contrasts the two services : 
" Two observable characteristics of the Greek ritual, 
are its very dramatic nature and its humihty. Its 
dramatic, one might almost say over-dramatic dispo- 
sition may be seen particularly in the ceremonies 
of the Holy Week, compared with those at Rome. 
Its humility, in the forms of Baptism, receiving con- 
fessions, and absolving penitents With- 
out presuming to criticize the Liturgies of the two 
Churches, it may be allowable to note, that while the 
Greek ritual of the Eucharist is more dramatic, so to 
speak, than the Roman, it is scarcely so magnificent 
in its tone, or so rich in mystical expositions, neither 
does it exhibit that quickness at catching expressions 
of Scripture, and representing them in devotional ges- 
tures, which is so marvelous in the rubrics of the Ro- 
man Missal." ^ 

The great service of the day however was in the 
Church of S. Maria d'Ara Coeli. This is a strange 
looking building on the Capitoline Hill, erected on the 
foundation of the old Roman temple of Jupiter Fere- 
trius, in which the Spolia Opima were deposited. 
The ascent to it is by one hundred and twenty-four 
steps of Grecian marble taken from an ancient temple 
of Romulus, near the Porta Salaria. They were con- 
structed in 1348, the expense being defrayed by the 
alms of the faithful after the great plague which Boc- 
cacio has so admirably described as afflicting Florence 
in that year. The age of the Church itself is un- 
known, although all agree in ascribing to it an an- 
tiquity not lower than the sixth century. Upon enter- 
ing, your first impression is, that it is composed of an 

1 F. W. Faber. 



110 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

assemblao-e of frap-ments. The materials have indeed 
been plundered indiscriminately from every ancient 
building within reach, and of the twenty-two large 
columns which separate the nave from the side aisles, 
no two are alike. Some are of Egyptian granite, and 
some of marble ; some white and some black ; two 
are Corinthian pillars elegantly fluted, and the rest are 
plain. The capitals, too, are all different, and as none 
of the pillars were originally of the same length, it 
was of course necessary to raise them on pedestals of 
various heights. The grotesque effect produced by 
this variety may be imagined. On one of the pillars 
is the inscription in antique letters — "a cubiculo 
AUGUSTORUM " — which would seem to prove that the 
Church was built with the spoils of the palace of the 
Caesars. The pavement formed of mosaic of the most 
rare and precious marbles, is uneven with age, and the 
sculptured images of knights and bishops who sleep 
beneath are rapidly disappearing under the tread of 
the thousands who pass over their resting-place. My 
principal interest in this building, however, arose from 
its connection with Gibbon, whose fascinating narra- 
tive must so often recur to the mind while dwellino; 
in "the Eternal City." It was in this Church, as 
he himself tells us, " on the 15th of October, 1764, 
as he sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while 
the barefooted friars were singing Vespers, that the 
idea of writing the ' Decline and Fall ' of the city first 
started to his mind." 

To the Romanist, on the contrary, this Church de- 
rives its veneration from a miraculous wooden figure 
of the infant Saviour, called the Santissimo Bambino^ 
to which they ascribe especial power in curing the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. Ill 

sick. The legend is, that a Franciscan pilgrim carved 
it out of an olive-tree which grew on the Mount of 
Olives, and while he was sleeping over his work, St. 
Luke appeared and painted the image. It is a coarse 
daub, like divers portraits of our Lord which we have 
seen ascribed to St. Luke, from all of which — if we 
believed in their authenticity — we should draw the 
inference, that his talents as an artist were somewhat 
below those of a very ordinary sign-painter. The 
image is placed in a side chapel, and dressed most 
richly, while gems and jewelry sparkle on all parts of 
it. Over the infant is bendino- the Viro;in in an ele- 
gant modern ball dress — red satin, with cord and 
tassel round her w^aist ; splendid necklace, with a veil 
gracefully falling over her and fastened to the back 
of her head. Around them are pasteboard figures 
of the shepherds and the wise men, the oxen and 
the ass, while the picture is completed by canvas side- 
scenes, background, and clouds. The view seems 
to extend far into the distance, and there are the 
hills and palm-trees and all the features of an ori- 
ental landscape. Altogether, it is quite pretty, and 
the deception is as well managed as it usually is in the 
theatre. 

On the Festival of the Epiphany this scene is all 
represented on a stage erected near the altar, and 
crowds of peasantry from the neighboring country 
throng the Church. In the afternoon the Bambino 
was brought out in solemn procession. First came the 
Cardinals, who offered gifts, — I suppose in imitation 
of the Magi, — and then the image was solemnly car- 
ried round the Church amidst kneeling thousands. 
The sick, and the halt, and the blind were there, 



112 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

^' that at least the shadow of" the wooden imao;e 
" passing by might overshadow some of them.'' 
Mothers held up their sick children, that they might 
be restored to health by a sight of the miraculous 
Bambino. Afterwards the procession moved to the 
front of the Church, where the open square on the 
Capitoline Hill was crowded by thousands. Here 
once more the image was elevated to bless the pros- 
trate multitudes, and then for another twelvemonth it 
was restored to its theatrical little chapel. 

In the evening we went to the Chapel of the Prop- 
aganda, which by the way is not open to ladies except 
on this single day. This Institution is celebrated 
throughout the world as the one where missionaries 
are educated for all heathen lands. The Armenian 
Bishop — a venerable looking man with a long white 
beard — was present at the service, w^hich was the 
ordinary Vespers. The students, about eighty in 
number, were ranged on the two sides of the Chapel, 
and presented a strange mixture of all nations and 
colors. I counted among them, five Chinese and two 
Africans. Yet here they all sat side by side, without 
any distinction, singmg together the praises of their 
common Lord. Surely, it must be acknowledged, that 
in this respect Rome carries out her own Catholic 
principles and declares, not only in words but by her 
actions, that " God hath made of one blood all nations 
of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." She 
recognizes no distinctions of climate or country in the 
house of God. We had just before, as we entered 
the door of the Chapel, witnessed a similar evidence 
of this Catholic spirit. An old man, black as possible, 
in a clerical dress, was just getting into a carriage. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 113 

He was assisted by two priests, who with many bows 
and demonstrations of respect were taking leave of 
him. I afterwards learned, that he was an Abyssinian 
priest, who having spent the greater part of his Hfe in 
missionary labors in his own country, had now returned 
to die at Rome. 

The chanting at the Chapel this evening was with- 
out any pretensions to the character of fine music, yet 
there was something to me very inspiring in the sound. 
Perhaps it arose in part from the fact, that I knew 
what they were singing — only the pure words of in- 
spiration, which two thousand years ago were sung on 
the mountains and among the valleys of Judea, and 
had ever since been the sacred hymns of the Christian 
Church. They were the regular Vesper Psalms for 
the evening, in the rich and picturesque language 
of the Vulgate, where the orientalism of Scripture is 
blended up with such curious felicity with the idiom 
of the Latin.^ The chanting was antiphonal, the forty 
students ranged on one side singing the first verse, 
and immediately those on the other side taking up the 
strain and singing the second. In the middle of the 
Chapel stood a high lectern, and when each Psalm 
was ended, seven or eight students — among whom 
were two Chinese — left their places and gathered 
around it, to lead the singing of the Grloria Patri^ in 
which the whole assembly on both sides joined. The 
organ was pealing overhead as an accompaniment, and 
when I heard the deep-toned sound of so many manly 
voices chanting the rich Latin words, and saw the up- 
turned faces of those who stood about -the lectern, I 
felt that it was indeed a solemn and impressive ser- 

1 Milman's History of Christianity^ vol. ii. p. 334. 
8 



114 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

vice. Widely as we might differ on many points, here 
at least was a common ground. The words they sang 
were the heritage of each branch alike of the Chris- 
tian Church, and if uttered with a true heart fervently, 
might well raise them above the cares of this lower 
world, to the same lofty devotion which elevated the 
spirit of the kingly poet, when he indited these sub- 
lime strains. 



Q^yf 





CHAPTER X. 

THE TOMBS OF THE LAST STUARTS. 

HE last of the Stuarts died at Rome, where 
the palace which they occupied in the Pi- 
azza de S. S. Apostoli^ to this day bears the 
name of the Palazzo del Pretendente. The 
Villa Muti^ too, which the Cardinal York owned, has 
still some relics of the family, — a portrait of Charles 
I., a bust of the Cardinal, a picture of the fete given 
on his promotion to the Sacred College, his favorite 
walking stick, having on it an ivory head of Charles 
L, and a bust of the Chevalier de St. George. Sir 
Walter Scott, when in Rome, inspected these relics 
with the liveliest interest. He admired the situation 
of the Villa, commanding a splendid view over the 
Campagna, but at the same time remarked, while 
deploring the fate of his favorite princes, that " this 
was a poor substitute for all the splendid palaces to 
which they were heirs in England and Scotland." ^ 

Justly as the Stuarts were expelled from England, 
there is still something in the fall of a line which for 
ages had worn crowns and borne sceptres, that cannot 
but enlist our sympathy. We felt this when we were 
travelling in their native land — visiting the deserted 
palaces of Holyrood and Linlithgow, where once they 
held their court, or seeing the monuments of the 

1 Lockhart's Z/i/*e, vol. vii. p. 275. 



116 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

early members of their race. The chivakous traits, 
indeed, which marked so many of them, particularly in 
the old wars of Scotland, — the gallant death of James, 
when he disdained to fly from the lost battle, but fell 
in his knightly harness on Flodden field ; the bold 
attempt of the young Charles Edward, when he 
landed at Moidart with only seven attendants to re- 
cover his ancestral throne ; the gentle spirit and 
moumfiil fate of the first Charles ; the sufferings of 
Queen Mary ; the romantic history of Arabella Stuart, 
— all these recollections seemed to crowd upon us, 
awaken our interest, and almost redeemed the char- 
acter of the family. 

It was to the Chateau of St. Germain, near Paris, 
that James II. retired when driven j&om England, and 
here he held the shadow of a court for twelve years, 
until his death. When in Paris, therefore, we felt an 
interest in finding his tomb, which after some inquuy 
we learned was in the Chapel of the College des Ecos- 
sais^ within the city, — an institution founded in 1325 
by David, Bishop of Moray in Scotland. One morn- 
ing we repaired thither, and summoning the porter, 
made known our wish to see the Chapel. He con- 
ducted us to it, — a small and simple apartment paved 
with marble, — but we looked around in vain for any 
monuments. None were to be seen except the in- 
scriptions on the pavement, which told us that below 
were buried some old Scottish Bishops, whose armo- 
rial bearings were there carved upon their tombs, and 
whose names — Barclay and Beatoun — are familiar 
to those acquainted with the history of their native 
land. 

Not seeing what we wished, we inquired for the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 117 

tomb of King James. The custode at once led us into 
an adjoining room which, he said, had once been part 
of the Chapel. Its appearance was antique from the 
style of the carved seats around it, and the stained 
glass of the pointed window. At one end was a large 
alcove concealed by a curtain of heavy crimson velvet. 
Our guide drew it aside, and before us was the mas- 
sive tomb of the last Stuart king that reigned in Eng- 
land. It is about ten feet high, of black and white 
marble, executed in 1703, two years after his death. 
His heart is all that was interred here, the rest of 
his body being buried at St. Germain where he died, 
and where another monument to his memory has been 
placed by order of George IV. This one was erected 
by his faithful friend and the constant companion of his 
exile, James, Duke of Perth, governor of his son, the 
Pretender, who afterwards assumed the title of James 
III. On the top of the monument was formerly an 
urn of bronze gilt, containing the brain of the king. 
It was in that day the custom with distinguished indi- 
viduals, to have the parts of their body interred in 
different places, and we saw the same thing in Vienna, 
where the Royal Hovise of Austria are buried in one 
chapel, while in another are their hearts in silver and 
gold urns. To this College also — as is mentioned in 
the long Latin inscription on the monument — the 
king confided all his valuable manuscripts, but they 
unfortunately disappeared during the French Revolu- 
tion. 

On the pavement, in front of the king's monument, 
is a slab over the heart of the queen, and another over 
the remains of Maria Louisa, their second daughter. 
Around them are inscriptions in memory of James 



118 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Drummond, Duke of Perth ; Mary Gordon of Hunt- 
ley, Duchess of Perth ; the second Duke of the same 
name, who died in 1726 ; John Caryl, Lord Dunford ; 
the Duchess of Tyrconnel ; Sir Patrick Monteath ; 
Sir Marian O'Conoly ; Dr. Andrew Hay; Dr.. Lewis 
Innes, Confessor to James II. ; and Dr. Robert Barclay. 
The little band who followed their exiled king in his 
years of banishment, and shared his fallen fortunes, 
are here sleeping together about his monument. They 
were faithful to him in life, " and in their death they 
were not divided." 



When the visitor is wandering through St. Peter's 
at Rome, pausing every moment before some splendid 
tomb of a Pope, where the skill of Michael Angelo, 
or Bernini, or Canova has been lavished on the stat- 
uary, there are two monuments which will particularly 
arrest his attention. One is a richly decorated tomb 
against the wall, intended to commemorate the virtues 
of Maria Clementina Sobieski, wife of the Chevalier 
de St. George, only son of James II. At its base is a 
porphyry sarcophagus partially covered with alabaster 
drapery, in which her body is deposited. Above is a 
female figure, holding in her hand a medallion portrait 
of the queen, the size of life. It is of mosaic, but so 
perfect in its execution that it cannot be distinguished 
from a highly finished painting. In the inscription on 
the tomb, her titles are enumerated, and among them 
she is styled — '' Queen of Great Britain, France, and 
Ireland," She was the granddaughter of King John 
Sobieski, who defeated the Turks at Vienna, and at the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 119 

time of her marriage in 1715 was called the greatest 
fortune in Europe. She died at Rome in 1755. 

Immediately opposite to it, against one of the broad 
pillars of the Church, is the celebrated monument exe- 
cuted by Canova to the last of this unfortunate family. 
Sir William Gell, who was in Rome when Scott arrived 
there, says that he accompanied him to St. Peter's, 
which was one of the first places he resolved to visit, 
that he might see the tomb of the last of the Stuarts. 
To me it was the most interesting spot in this vast 
building, and often as I passed through it, I felt in- 
clined to turn from the gorgeous monuments around to 
this more simple tomb which recorded the termination 
of the long struggle of a gallant race, having on its 
enduring marble the proud claims which they did not 
abandon even in death. It is a white marble mauso- 
leum, about fifteen feet high, on the upper part of 
which are sculptured the royal arms of England. 
Below are three portraits in bas-relief. Two of them 
are in half armor, and the third in an ecclesiastical 
dress. They are intended to represent the son and 
grandsons of James II., the last of whom died here as 
Cardinal York. Beneath is the inscription, — " Jacobo 
III. Jacobi II. MAGNiE Brit. Regis filio, Karolo 
Edvardo, et Henrico, Decano Patrvm Cardina- 
LivM, Jacobi III. filiis, Regi^ Stirpis Stvardi^ 
posTREMis, ANNO MDCccxix." The lowcr part of the 
monument is occupied by a representation of paneled 
doors, closed as if never again to be opened, and on 
each side of them stands an angel with an inverted 
torch, guarding the entrance. These two female figures 
are beautiful, and looking mournfully down, they seem 
to be the guardian genii of the ill-fated family, thus 



120 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

watching over their last resting-place. Above the door 
is the quotation, — 

" BEATI MORTUI QUI IN DOMINO MORIUNTUR." 

The bodies of these last representatives of the Stuart 
race are in the crypt under the Church. While going 
throuo-h the vaults, I looked for their tomb in vain, 
and when we had passed nearly to the end, inquired 
of the young priest who accompanied us with his lighted 
taper, where it was? He said, we must return, and he 
would show it. We did so, and he pointed it out — 
a plain slab of marble, so small that we had passed it 
unnoticed among the many inscriptions around. It is 
against the wall, a few feet from the pavement, while 
immediately below it is a projection, about six feet long 
by three broad, which he touched with his hand, and 
told us, that within this were the bodies. Yet even in 
these dark passages, speaking only of death, and sur- 
rounded by the memorials of those who had long since 
gone down to the dust, the same lofty claims are held 
forth. The inscription on that simple stone announces 
to us, that we stand by the sepulchre of '' James the 
THIRD, Charles the third, and Henry the ninth. 
Kings of England." As the elder brother descended 
to the tomb, the younger assumed the barren title he had 
not power to enforce, and bore it in testimony of his 
rights, until he had done with earthly crowns forever. 
There is something melancholy in this inscription, when 
we remember how vainly, yet how gallantly they fought 
to regain their hereditary throne, and how many thou- 
sands were loyal to them even unto death, ascending the 
scaffold rather than desert the cause of the ancient line. 
We felt indeed as we stood by their tomb, that a 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 121 

more appropriate place for their sepulchre could not be 
found. They were exiled from England for their at- 
tachment to the Church of Rome, and in the noblest 
temple which that faith has ever reared — the most 
magnificent indeed which the world has ever seen — 
they have found their last resting-place. There their 
gallant hearts are mouldering, the sufferings of their 
exile atoning for the errors of their regal sway. 





CHAPTER XI. 

THE COLISEUM. PALACE OF THE C^SARS. BATHS. 

HE Coliseum is what formerly passed under 
the name of the Flavian Amphitheatre, and 
is now the noblest remnant of old Rome. 
It is, however, only a massive ruin — the 
mighty skeleton of what it must have been, when, 
thronged by the gay population of the city, its seats 
were occupied by nearly one hundred thousand specta- 
tors. Begun by Vespasian ten years after the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, many thousand captive Jews were 
employed in its construction ; and when it was finished, 
in the days of Titus, five thousand wild beasts were 
slain in the 'arena during the games, which lasted a 
hundred days, in honor of its dedication. Such was 
its first baptism of blood, when the fierce animal of the 
desert, and the still fiercer human being with whom he 
fought, poured out their lives together upon its sands. 
Here, for four hundred years, the gladiatorial shows 
took place, and many a wounded combatant rolled his 
eyes around these lofty seats, to see in despair only the 
signal that he was to have no mercy. To this spot, in 
the reign of Trajan, Ignatius was brought from Antioch 
to be devoured by lions, and thus, — to use his own 
words, — " like God's own corn, he was ground be- 
tween the teeth of the wild beasts." The last martyr 
who died here was an eastern monk, Telemachus, who, 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 123 

in the reign of Honorius, travelled to Rome to protest 
against these barbarous exhibitions. In his noble en- 
thusiasm he leaped into the arena to separate the com- 
batants, and was torn to pieces by the infuriated specta- 
tors.^ But the impression produced by this voluntary 
sacrifice was so profound, that the Emperor issued an 
edict prohibiting these bloody shows. 

The Romans seem to have been a race, sanguinary 
beyond the ordinary rules of our nature. Even women 
shared in the ferocity of their mortal combats. They 
crowded these lofty seats around us, to watch the for- 
tunes of the fight, when naked barbarians were arrayed 
against each other, in a contest from which only one 
must retire alive. In all their amphitheatres — here, 
and at Nismes, and at Pompeii — we find honorable 
places provided for the vestal virgins ; and not only 
were they present, but it was their privilege to give the 
fatal signal, which condemned to instant death the 
wretch who had been unsuccessful in the fight, and 
to watch that the bloody mandate was thoroughly 
obeyed. A more fearful picture cannot be drawn than 
that which Prudentius gives of such a scene, — 

*' Virgo — consurgit ad ictus, 
Et quoties victor ferrum jugulo inserit, ilia 
Delicias ait esse, suas, pectusque jacentis 
Virgo modesta jubet, converso pollice, rumpi; 
Ni lateat pars ulla animse vitalibus imis, 
Altius impresso dum palpitat ense secutor." 2 

So deep rooted, indeed, was this passion, that it 
seems to have acted like a frenzy even on those whose 
reason protested against it. St. Augustine tells us of a 
Christian young man, who, being induced by his asso- 

1 Theodoret, v. 26. 2 Prudent, adv. Sym. ii. 1095. 



124 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

ciates to enter the amphitheatre, for a time resolutely 
kept his eyes closed. At length, a tremendous shout 
of the spectators induced him to look out on the arena. 
The instant he caught the sight of blood, he seemed to 
imbibe the ferocious spirit of those around him ; he 
shouted, he cheered on the combatants, he was pos- 
sessed with an uncontrollable fury, and when he de- 
parted, the desire to return was too irresistible to be 
withstood.^ Such was Roman character. Indeed, a 
greater contrast cannot be given than that which ex- 
isted between the elegant theatrical shows of the 
Greeks, where they assembled to listen to the lofty 
tragedies of ^schylus or Sophocles, and the brutal 
exhibitions of this arena, for which the Roman popu- 
lace gathered. And yet. these separate scenes but 
illustrate the different characters of the two nations. 

These bloody shows, too, were often on a gigantic 
scale, which we should suppose could hardly have been 
witnessed without insanity. We will give — in the ex- 
pressive language of another — one single instance, 
that of the Emperor Claudius at the Lacus Fuci- 
nus. '' It is one mighty theatre : the terraces of the 
Abruzzo are covered with eager and delighted specta- 
tors. Claudius himself, with the bloody Agrippina, the 
young Nero, and the infamous favorite. Narcissus, is 
seated at the awful show. There are slaves and crim- 
inals to the number of nineteen thousand. They are 
divided off into two fleets, to fight against each other on 
the lake. As they defile past the Emperor, they cry, 
' Hail ! O Emperor ! The dying salute thee.' The 
Emperor returns the salutation in such a way, that the 
poor wretches believe they are pardoned, and break 

1 August. Conf. vi. 8. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 125 

forth into a frantic tumult of rejoicing, for they love life 
like other men, and have red blood in their bodies, and 
each of them a soul as immortal as thine, O Claudius. 
But pardon ? Are all these spectators on the shelving 
slopes of the lake-girdling Abruzzo to be disappointed ? 
The Emperor descends to the brink, and explains the 
mistake, and bids the praetorians goad the reluctant 
victims on board the ships, and nineteen thousand im- 
mortal beings, for whom Christ had died some twenty 
years before, murdered each other in a mock battle, for 
the pleasure of the Roman Emperor and people." ^ 

It was a solemn thought, therefore, as we stood in 
this arena, and remembered the nature of the amuse- 
ments in which the fierce multitudes of Rome rejoiced, 
that here for four centuries death had reaped a most 
abundant harvest. Leopards from the East ; lions 
from Africa ; bears from the far North ; and whatever 
strange and rare animals the conquered provinces could 
anywhere furnish, were used to slaughter the helpless 
slaves, whose lives they considered of no value except 
to contribute to their sports. Here, too, was poured 
forth the blood of many who died to bequeath the pure 
faith to us ; and those seats, which towered so high 
above us, were once filled by crowds, rejoicing with 
savage exultation to see how a Christian could die. 
Recollections, therefore, of bitter suffering crowded on 
us as we thought of its old magnificence, and we felt 
that dark must be the Penates which guarded these 
majestic ruins. 

The latest scene of bloodshed which took place 
within these walls, was in the fourteenth century, and 
worthy of a brief notice, as giving some insight into 

1 F. W. Faber. 



126 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

the manners of the times. It was in September, a. d. 
1332, that the population of Rome, hke their fathers 
ten centuries before, crowded again the old Cohseum. 
It had been resolved to exhibit there a bull-fight, after 
the Moorish and Spanish fashion, and proclamations 
had been sent through all Italy, inviting the young 
nobles to exhibit their skill and valor. The day had 
now arrived, and temporary seats covered these time- 
worn stones, while on different sides were three balco- 
nies, hned with scarlet cloth, for the three divisions of 
Roman ladies who were to grace the sports by their 
presence. The matrons from the Trastevere, beyond 
the Tiber, boasting of the pure blood of ancient Rome, 
and retaining in every feature the haughty lineaments 
of antiquity, were led by the fair Jacova di Rovere ; 
while the nobility of the city were as usual divided be- 
tween the rival houses of the Colonna and the Orsini. 
The charms of Savella Orsini — says Gibbon, to whom 
we are indebted for this description — are mentioned 
with praise, while the Colonna regretted the absence 
of the youngest of their house, who had sprained her 
ankle in the garden of Nero's tower. Contemporary 
annahsts give the colors and devices of some twenty 
of the most conspicuous knights, and their names are 
among the most illustrious of the Papal States. Such 
were Malatesta, SavelH, Conti, Annabaldi, Altieri, and 
Corsi. None of the Orsini took the field, though three 
of their hereditary enemies, the Colonnas, were among 
the combatants. They each bore the device of their 
house, the single column, with inscriptions denoting the 
lofty greatness they claimed for their family : " Though 
sad, I am strong ;'" " Strong as I am great ; " " If I 
fall, you fall with me." The latter was indeed the 



THE ' CHRIS TMA S HOL YD A YS IN R OME, 127 

motto usually borne by this princely house, and was 
considered as addressed to the Roman people, intimat- 
ing that the Colonna family was the support of the 
state, and if one fell, the other would be involved in 
the same ruin. Each champion, in succession, de- 
scended into the arena alone, with a single spear, to 
encounter a wild bull. The combats were dangerous 
and bloody, a curious renewal of the old conflicts which 
once took place on this same arena. In proportion, 
too, they were equally fatal, for eighteen of these vol- 
unteers were killed, and nine wounded. But the old 
chroniclers seem to think that this also had its use ; for 
though many of the noblest families in Rome were 
called to mourn, yet the pomp of the funerals at the 
churches of St. John Lateran and St. Maria Maggiore 
furnished a second holyday to the people.^ 

It was on a bright sunny morning that w^e first went 
over these ruins, which awaken such a host of varied 
recollections. As we stood on the highest arch and 
looked down into the arena, and round on the wasted 
Campagna, all seemed as calm and peaceful as if no 
scene of human suffering could ever have been occur- 
ring there. Not a sound was heard, except the notes 
of the birds singing among the ivy which had forced 
itself between the stones. But these remains are in 
their massive character unlike anything else we have 
seen. The immense stones of which the building was 
formed, have been shattered into the most picturesque 
shapes, until as they project above us, they have 
the form of overhanging rocks. You can however 
plainly trace every part, — the immeasurable galleries, 
the seats of the Patricians and Plebeians, and the dens 

1 Gibbon's Decline and Fall, chap. Ixxi. 



128 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

below, from which, when the grating was withdrawn, 
the wild beasts could bound into the arena, to meet 
their expecting foe. As you wind up the ruined 
stairs, the copsewood overshadows you, and it is nec- 
essary to put aside the wild olive, the myrtle, and the 
fig-tree, when you thread your way through the laby- 
rinths. The gray lichens, the variegated moss, and 
the wild flowers so countless in this climate, form 
a carpet beneath your feet, or hang in rich festoons 
and drapery over the ruins. The richest depth of 
coloring seems to pervade the whole ; the sun of 
many ages has tinged every arch and frieze ; and we 
have the dark stains on the mouldering ruins con- 
trasted with the bright hues of the living vegeta- 
tion. Shelley says he can scarcely believe, that when 
incrusted with Dorian marble and ornamented by 
columns of Egyptian granite, its effect could have 
been so sublime and impressive as in its present 
state. 

And yet, massive as these remains are, they consti- 
tute but a small portion of the original structure. It 
was — as we have stated in a former chapter — utterly 
ruined by Robert Guiscard in the twelfth century. 
Having been stormed and taken, a portion of its walls 
was hopelessly shattered. Then for several hundred 
years it was used as a kind of quarry by the Ro- 
mans. In the fourteenth century Urban V. offered 
the stones for sale, but found no purchaser except the 
Frangipani, who wished to use them for building their 
palace. Finally, the contending families agreed to 
leave them as common property, and in this way, the 
Famese and many other palaces were erected from 
the materials. Yet shorn of its glory and ruined as 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 129 

we now see it, enough still remains to excite the won- 
der of the world. 

. . . . " From its mass 
Walls, palaces, half-cities, have been rear'd: 
Yet oft the enormous skeleton ye pass, 
And marvel where the spoil could have appear'd. 
Hath it indeed been plunder'd, or but clear'd? " 

The wide arena is now covered with grass like a 
lawn, piercing the chasms of the broken arches, and 
thus extending far under the ruins. A few years ago 
a subterranean passage was discovered, communicat- 
ing with the palace on the Palatine, within which it is 
probable that Commodus was attacked by the con- 
spirators. Gibbon says " he was returning to his pal- 
ace through a dark and narrow portico in the amphi- 
theatre." Near at hand is the ruined Meta Sudans^ 
the fountain at which the gladiators refreshed them- 
selves after the toil and heat of their conflicts. 

Although the closing of this amphitheatre was one 
of the noblest and most diflicult triumphs of Chris- 
tianity, yet as we stand within it we have sorrowful 
evidence, how much the spirit of that faith has 
changed since martyrs shed their blood upon "this 
spot. A cross has indeed been erected in the centre, 
yet on it is an inscription, promising two hundred 
days' indulgence for each kiss which it receives : 
'' Bacciando la S. croce si acquistano duecento giorni 
di indulgenza." Around the inclosure are fourteen 
Stations^ that is, small shrines, each of which has 
painted above it some event which happened to our 
Lord on his way to the Cross, and the devout stop 
at these in succession to offer their prayers. We 
could see them at all times going their rounds, and 
then ending with a kiss to the Cross in the centre. 



130 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

On one side is also a rude pulpit, from which a Capu- 
chin was accustomed at times to preach. This service 
cannot be otherwise than impressive to a thoughtfiil 
mind, even while having no sympathies with the the- 
ology on which the sermon is based. The poor monk 
was generally no orator, yet it was a strange contrast 
to hear his earnest appeals echo through these old por- 
ticoes, and the doctrines of our common faith an- 
nounced on that spot which once resounded only with 
the noise of the death-struggle, the roaring of wild 
beasts, and the gladiators' strife. 

It is pleasant to visit these old ruins at different 
times through the day and night, to mark the effect 
produced by the change of lights and shadows. In 
the purple and golden hue of evening there is a mel- 
!low radiance diffused over them, which reminds us of 
^the glowing pictures of Claude. The fading light 
softens down the desolation, and adds to their beauty 
without subtracting aught from their imposing char- 
.acter. Like Melrose Abbey, however, he who " would 
view them aright," must ''visit them by the pale 
moonlight." This rule, indeed, Madame de Sfael ap- 
plies to all the remains of antiquity in this land. " The 
sun of Italy," she says, '' should shine on festivals : but 
the moon is the light for ruins." 

The second time we stood w^ithin these cinimbling 
walls, it was late at night. Fortunately we came too 
early, and therefore had an opportunity of seeing the 
effect produced as the broad deep shadow which the 
giant building cast, w^as gradually retreating before 
the light. When we arrived, the moon was just high 
enough to silver one edge of the ruin, while the rest 
was left in darkness. All was silent around, except 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 131 

the step of the solitary sentinel who was pacing the 
arena, and the murmur which arose at times from the 
neighboring city. And there we waited, as the 
Queen of Night — so glorious in the clearness of an 
Italian sky — gradually mounted up, and tinged row 
after row of the terraces on which once the spectators 
sat, the contrast of her silvery hues and the deep 
shadows of the vaults beneath, producing an effect of 
which no idea can be conveyed in the cold language 
of prose. The dark trees waving above the broken 
arches stood out in bolder relief, and the rents in the 
shattered battlements became more apparent as the 
light streamed through them. There is, however, but 
one description which has ever done justice to the 
grandeur of this scene. It is that which Lord Byron 
has given in his '' Manfred," where every allusion, and 
every single line indeed presents so vivid a picture to 
one who has been there in " the witching hour of 
night," that, long as the quotation is, this little sketch 
would be incomplete without it. 

" I do remember me, that in my youth, 
When 1 was wandering — upon such a night 
I stood within the Coliseum's wall, 
'Midst the chief relics of almighty Rome; 
The trees which grew along the broken arches 
Waved dark in the blue midnight, and the stars 
Shone through the rents of ruin ; from afar 
The watch-dog bay' d bej^ond the Tiber; and 
More near from out the Caisars' palace came 
The owl's long cry, and, interruptedly, 
Of distant sentinels the fitful song 
Begun and died upon the gentle wind. 
Some cypresses beyond the time-worn breach 
Appear' d to skirt the horizon, yet they stood 
Within a bowshot. Where the Caesars dwelt, 
And dwell the tuneless birds of night, amidst 
A grove which springs through level'd battlements, 



132 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

And twines its roots with the Imperial hearths, 

Ivy usurps the laurel's place of growth ; 

But the gladiators' bloody circus stands, 

A noble wreck in ruinous perfection ! 

While Caesar's chambers, and the Augustan halls, 

Grovel on earth in indistinct decay. 

And thou didst shine, thou rolling moon, upon 

All this, and cast a wide and tender light. 

Which soften'd down the hoar austerity 

Of rugged desolation, and fiU'd up, 

As 'twere anew, the gaps of centuries; 

Leaving that beautiful which still was so, 

And making that which was not, till the place 

Became religion, and the heart ran o'er 

With silent worship of the great of old ! 

The dead, but sceptred sovereigns, who still rule 

Our spirits from their urns." .... 

The Palace of the Caesars, allusions to which By- 
ron has thus mingled with his description of the Co- 
liseum, stands not far distant. It is a mass of ruins — 
a mile and a half in circuit — covering the whole of 
the Palatine Hill. Here, century after century, the 
Roman Emperors lavished the wealth of a tributary 
world to increase the magnificence of their dwelling- 
place, until at last Nero surpassed them all by his 
Aurea^ or Golden House. With our modern habits of 
estimating, we can form but little conception of its 
splendor. Suetonius says, — " To give an idea of the 
extent and magnificence of this edifice, it is sufficient 
to mention, that in its vestibule was placed a colossal 
statue of Nero one hundred and twenty feet in height. 
It had a triple portico, supported by a thousand col- 
umns, with a lake, like a little sea, surrounded by build- 
ings which resembled cities. It contained fields, vine- 
yards, pasture-ground, and groves, in which were all 
descriptions of animals, both wild and tame. Its inte- 
rior shone with gold, gems, and mother-of-pearl. In 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 133 

the vaulted roofs of the dining-rooms were machines 
of ivory, which turned round, and from pipes scat- 
tered flowers and perfumes on the guests. The prin- 
cipal banqueting hall was a rotunda, so constructed 
that it revolved night and day, in imitation of the mo- 
tion of the earth. The baths were supplied from the 
sea, and the sulphurous waters of Albuloe. When 
Nero, after dedicating this fairy palace, took up his 
abode there, his only observation was, — ' Now I shall 
begin to live like a man.' " 

And what remains of all this splendor? Nothing 
but shapeless ruins. The battlements are leveled ; 
the trees twine their roots through the marble floors 
on which once the Caesars trod, and the whispering 
reeds, the tall grass, and the rank herbage wave in 
neglected luxuriance over the vanished pomp of the 
Masters of the w^orld. We wandered over the Hill, 
and among the fallen columns, listening to the ques- 
tionable representations of our guide, as he showed in 
one place the ruins of a theatre, and in another gave 
some shattered arches the name of a temple. The only 
well defined remains are those of the Baths of Livia. 
Tapers were lighted, and we descended into them, for 
they are now completely covered by the ruins and the 
accumulated earth above. Yet within, the frescoes 
and gilding are in some places as plain and fresh as 
ever, and beneath the dark arches are the mosaic floors, 
which once displayed a beauty fit for the Imperial fam- 
ily of Rome. Among these crumbling walls and pros- 
trate pillars, the husbandmen now cultivate their gar- 
dens, and the bell sounds mournfully from the Monas- 
tery of Capuchin monks w^hich has been erected on 
one portion of the Hill. A few tall palm-trees alone 



134 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

are seen within their grounds, for their rigorous disci- 
pHne seems to war with the beauty of nature, and the 
rehgious house of Bonaventure is an exception to the 
Itahan maxim, — 

" Dove abitano i fratri, k grassa la terra." 

Treasures of art, however, must still be concealed 
beneath all this rubbish, for it has raised the surface 
of the ground more than thirty feet above its former 
level. As late as the year 1720, by accident a mag- 
nificent hall was here discovered two hundred feet in 
length, one hundred and thirty-two in breadth, richly 
ornamented with statues, columns of giallo antico, and 
other precious marbles. Yet now this mass of crum- 
bling desolation is a scene of confusion on which the 
antiquarian speculates in vain. 

" Cypress and ivy, weed and wall-flower grawn 
Matted and mass'd together, hillocks heap'd 
On what were chambers, arch crush' d, columns strown 
In fragments, choked-up vaults, and frescoes steep'd 
In subterranean damps, where the owl peep'd, 
Deeming it midnight: — temples, baths, or halls? 
Pronounce who can ; for all that learning reap'd 
From her research hath been, that these are walls — 

Behold the Imperial Mount! 'tis thus the mighty falls." 

Among the ruins of Rome those of her Baths occupy 
a prominent place. A writer on antiquities thus de- 
scribes them as they appeared in the days of their 
glory : '' They were open every day to both sexes. 
In each of the great Baths there were sixteen hundred 
seats of marble, for the convenience of the bathers, 
and three thousand two hundred persons could bathe 
at the same time. There were splendid porticoes in 
front for promenade, arcades with shops, in which was 
found every kind of luxury for the bath, and halls for 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 135 

corporeal exercises and for the discussions of philoso- 
phy; and here the poets read their productions, and 
rhetoricians harangued, and sculptors and painters ex- 
hibited their works to the public. The baths were 
distributed into grand halls, with ceilings enormously 
high, and painted with admirable frescoes, supported 
on columns of the rarest marbles, and the basins were 
of oriental alabaster, porphyry, and jasper. There 
were in the centre, vast reservoirs for the swimmers, 
and crowds of slaves to attend gratuitously upon all 
who should come." These Baths were either entirely 
free, or at the utmost, the price of admission was a 
quadrant., the smallest piece of money coined, which 
was given to the keeper. Under the Emperors it was 
their policy to do everything for the amusement of 
the people, and when not only the necessaries of life, 
but also every luxury, was provided for them, and 
shows, races, and combats helped the dissolute popula- 
tion to while away the hours of the day, these magnifi- 
cent structures also were erected to minister to their 
pleasures. Bathing was indeed an elaborate business 
with the Romans. They passed through a course of 
baths in succession, where the agency of air as well as 
water was applied. These were of different tempera- 
tures, hot and cold water being furnished in profusion, 
while between them they took gentle exercise, were 
anointed with oil in the sun, or in the tepid or thermal 
chamber, or took their food. And this process was 
often repeated. Many, we learn, bathed seven or 
eight times in the course of the day. 

There are but few customs of the almost forgotten 
civilization of ancient Rome, of which we cannot, from 
some source, recover an accurate account. It is so 



136 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

with their mao-nificent Thermce. Those which remain 
are indeed in ruins, but on the walls of that of Titus 
was found a fresco, containing a view of one according 
to the perfect arrangements of that day. Six chambers 
are exhibited to us in this painting, and we see the 
burning furnaces which heated the apartments, and in 
each the individuals going through the process of this 
much-prized luxury. But more satisfactory still is a 
discovery made at Pompeii, where an entire establish- 
ment was disinterred ; and thus, in this miniature city of 
Roman splendor, we can survey these apartments, just 
as they were when, seventeen centuries ago, the last 
bathers left them. In a day which we spent rambling 
around this silent city of the dead, we found at noon 
that our guides had arranged the dinner for our party 
in this Hall of the Bath, and there we passed an hour, 
with around us the dusty fountains, the bronze pipes, 
and the seats for the bathers ; while directly before us 
was the marble reservoir, with the maker's name 
carved on it, and the price paid him for his work. 
Such an hour enables us to travel back over the snlf 
of forgotten centuries ; and when, in addition, we see 
the instruments of this old luxury, — the very strigils 
which the slaves dropped as they fled, — we feel able, 
in imagination, to build up once more the ruins of 
Rome's voluptuous baths, to wake to a second existence 
the gay crowds which thronged their porticoes, and to 
behold them as crowned with garlands, they listened to 
the music of the cithara, or discussed the breathing 
wonders of Grecian statuary which lined these halls. 

We have already described the Baths of Caracalla. 
Those of Diocletian, on the Viminal, are very similar, 
and consecrated by the tradition that they were 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 137 

erected by the labor of forty thousand Christians. 
They cover an area of more than a mile in circuit, yet 
are now in ruins, with the exception of the Pina- 
cotheca, or grand central hall. This — the most noble 
saloon of ancient Rome, which has come down to us 
uninjured from ancient times — was preserved by being 
early converted into a Cliristian church. For this we 
must thank the legend which connected its history with 
that of the martyrs. It was remodeled by Michael 
Angelo as we now see it — the Church of Santa Maria 
degli Angeli. Above, in the lofty vaulted roof, are the 
metallic rings from which the ancient lamps were sus- 
pended, and the eight massive columns of oriental 
granite standing around, are still in their original 
positions. 

From these Baths but a short distance separated us 
from those of Titus on the Esquihne. Our course was 
through a street corresponding with the ancient Vicus 
Sceleratus, infamous in Roman history as the scene of 
the impiety of Tullia, who there drove her car over the 
dead body of her father, Servius Tullius, after he had 
been assassinated by her husband, Tarquin. At length, 
we reached a vineyard, at the end of which is the en- 
trance to the Baths. Before us stood a row of dark 
arches in picturesque ruin, under which we passed, 
and with our guide commenced the descent. Here 
once stood the Villa of Maecenas, a portion of which 
was incorporated into this edifice. The work of exca- 
vation is slowly going on, and future years will prob- 
ably bring to light many precious remnants of antique 
art. In one of these halls the group of the Laocoon 
was found — a mere specimen, indeed, of those ex- 
quisite works, lifeless but lifehke, which classic Greece 



138 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

surrendered to her conquerors, and with which they 
filled every public building. 

It is strange how admirably parts of these chambers 
have been preserved, and now that the earth is re- 
moved, we see them as they were seventeen centuries 
ago. Beneath the rubbish is often disclosed a pave- 
ment of mosaic, inlaid with the richest marbles, so that 
even Apuleius might here have realized what he con- 
sidered the height of human felicity, — 

*' Vehementer iterum ac saepius beatos illos qui 
Super gemmas et raonilia calcant! " 

Above us was the arched ceiling, thirty feet high, 
covered with frescoes, and as our guide elevated his 
light on the end of a long pole, we saw the beautiful 
arabesque decorations so remarkable for their graceful 
outlines. Birds, and animals, serpents, fawns, and 
satyrs, are painted there, and the colors are often un- 
changed from their early freshness, some indeed pos- 
sessing a beauty of tint in the rich, deep crimson, which 
modern art finds it difficult to imitate. Raphael 
deemed these drawings well worthy of his study, and 
copied and reproduced them on the walls of the Vati- 
can. Festoons of flowers and rich tracery compose the 
borders, while here and there naked figures sport, and 
disclose that spirit of voluptuousness which was the 
characteristic of Rome when these halls were built. 
In the works of the Empire we read everywhere the 
proof, that her Patricians had degenerated into Syba- 
rites, seeking only to refine vice, and pass their days in 
one unbroken dream of pleasure. 

But what a scene must Rome have presented in the 
years which preceded her downfall, when she had 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 139 

gathered on these Seven Hills all that could be rifled 
from a conquered world ! If her sons had lost the aus- 
terity of the Iron Age, the change had also fitted them 
with deeper devotion to cultivate a taste for the beauti- 
fal in Art. While they received from the Plains of the 
Ilissus, those graceful fables which consecrated every 
spot, — giving to the waters their Nymph, and to the 
mountain its Oread, — the faith brought with it also 
something of that spirit of poetry, whose true home 
was on the heights of Phyle, and among the groves of 
Cithaeron and Hymettus. They learned to admire the 
creative power of Praxiteles and Scopas, of Phidias and 
Myron, writing in sculpture, on the frieze of each shrine 
and temple, the radiant legends of their old Mythology, 
or producing from the lucid marble of Pentelicus the 
transcendent forms of the gods they worshipped. These 
then became the treasures which wealth sought to col- 
lect, until at last one city contained the spoils of genius 
for a thousand years. How sad the change which has 
swept away these miracles of art ! Even the peasant 
of the Campagna, degraded as he seems to be, realizes 
the fall of this Mistress of the world, and as he labors 
among her mouldering ruins, you may hear the words 
of his melancholy song, — 

"Roma! Roma! Roma! 
Non e piu come era prima! " 




CHAPTER XII. 

DRAMATIC CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH SERVICES. 

SERMON BY A VICAR-GENERAL. THE CAPUCHIN 

CEMETERY. 

HE great trait of the Church services in 
Italy is their dramatic character. There 
seems to be a tendency to express every- 
thing by sensible images, and the evil is, 
that men may forget the distinction between the sign 
and the thing signified. Expiring Paganism in its 
dying struggles threw its mantle over its conqueror, 
and then began the imitation of heathen rites. The 
lustral water, the incense, and the processions of the 
antique faith of Greece, were too faithfully copied in 
the holy water, the censer, and the sacred proces- 
sions of the Christian Church. 

The Middle Ages increased the difficulty, from the 
mistaken zeal and perverted taste which then existed 
within the Church. It seems to have been the study 
of her friends, to invent new offices ; to add to the 
ceremonies of the ritual ; to render the pomp of her 
outward adorning more magnificent ; and the dresses 
of her clergy more dazzling. While doctrines were 
gradually changing, the exterior of religion was also 
fast losing the simplicity of ancient times, until it be- 
came incumbered with the accumulated inventions of 
centuries. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 141 

Passion Week gives ample scope for the develop- 
ment of this dramatic taste. In many of the churches, 
the Gospel which contains an account of our Lord's 
trial, is read by different priests, who distribute among 
themselves the various parts of the dialogue. In some 
of the little country towns, the old miracle-plays — or 
representations of different Scripture scenes by actors 
— are still performed. We spent this week in Vienna, 
and were able as it passed, to see each step of the 
Crucifixion regularly represented. On the arrival of 
this season, the altars in the churches were stripped 
of their flowers, embroidered cloths, and ornaments, 
and all things wore an appearance of desolation. On 
Good Friday, the body of our Lord, as large as life, 
was suspended on the Cross in the different chapels, 
which were generally, to increase' the effect, lighted 
only to a twilight gloom, while crowds of worshippers 
were kneeling before these images. 

At night it was taken down, and laid out like a 
corpse before the altar, covered with a pall, where it 
remained until Easter Even was over. I do not re- 
member a more striking scene than the Cathedral of 
St. Stephen presented on that occasion. It was a 
brilliant moonlight night when we approached it. 
How magnificent it looked when seen at this time, 
part flooded with brightness and part in the deep 
shadow, the rents and corroding inroads of time con- 
cealed and its fretted pinnacles and delicate tracery 
thrown out in bold relief against the clear sky ! Its 
" long drawn aisles " seemed to have doubled in length, 
and its lofty arches and massive columns were even 
more imposing than in the glare of day. Through the 
vast building there was only a feeble lamp here and 



142 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

tliere, just sufficient to show its extent, except a dis- 
tant chapel which was brilhantly hghted up. There 
seemed to be every possible variety. One chapel had 
been left in perfect darkness, and as we passed it, 
the moon broke forth from the clouds, and poured its 
rays through the tall Gothic window, lighting up the 
beautiful shrines, and spreading a ghastly hue over 
the figures on the monuments. Another had a single 
glimmering light at the far end, appearing like a dis- 
tant star. And all around were worshippers kneeling : 
some in the faint light of the nave, and others just 
visible in the deep gloom of the arches. Here they 
watched in prayer through all hours of the night. 
Everything seemed to be skillfully arranged to pro- 
duce its effect on the imagination and the senses. 

On Easter Even there is a splendid procession of 
the Austrian Court from one chapel to another, carry- 
ing the Host to represent the body of our Lord. 
When Easter morning dawns, the whole scene is 
again changed. The gayest ornaments deck the 
churches, and the most cheerful music is heard in the 
services. 

In some of the Italian churches, however, on Good 
Friday the representation of the Crucifixion, the 
'' Agonie," or '' Tre Ore," forms a perfect drama. 
Dr. Wiseman speaks of some of these services as be- 
ing " worthy of ancient Tragedy." An artificial 
mount — in imitation of Mount Calvary — is formed 
as in a theatre, with pasteboard rocks and thickets, 
and painted trees. On the declivity are seen the 
Roman soldiers in armor, some mounted on pasteboard 
horses, while on a more elevated spot are the three 
crosses, to which are nailed the figures of our Lord 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 143 

and the two malefactors, all arranged so as to produce 
the best stage effect. At the time of the Crucifixion 
a sermon of three hours in length is delivered, the 
different topics of which are taken from the exclama- 
tions of our Lord upon the Cross. At last, when the 
priest comes to His dying cry — " It is finished " — he 
suddenly exclaims, — " The moment has arrived — the 
Saviour now expires " — and all instantly sink upon 
their knees. For a time there is an awful silence, 
while they are absorbed in prayer, until the priest 
again exclaims, — " They come, the holy men to bear 
the body of our Redeemer to the sepulchre ; " and 
forthwith, from the side scenes issue a band of friars, 
clad in black, who toil up the ascent of Mount Cal- 
vary, and take down the body, amidst the groans and 
lamentations of the by-standers. As a preacher is al- 
ways selected of wild and fervid eloquence, we may 
imagine the strong effect which must be produced, 
particularly upon the ignorant, by this service per- 
formed in a darkened church, and mingled up with 
every stirring appeal to the feelings. 

The ordinary preaching of the Italians is deeply im- 
passioned in its style, and I have sometimes Hstened to 
Dominicans, whose bold declamation and earnest ges- 
tures as they leaned over the pulpit, reminded me of 
Peter the Hermit rousing up his audience to the Cru- 
sade, They deal much in apostrophe, and you fre- 
quently hear them turn aside with the address, — " O 
Italy!" " O my country!" There was one sermon 
we heard — very different it is true in its character 
and style — of which I took notes, because it is a fair 
specimen of the kind of argument used, and because 
the preacher had just been appointed to a high office 
in the Roman Catholic Church in America. 



144 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Having seen in the " Diario di Roma," that Dr. 
, Vicar-General of , in the United States of 



America, was to preach in the Church of S, Andrea 
della Valle^ we went with a party of friends, for the 
purpose of learning what kind of a man was to be sent 
out to enlighten our countrymen, and by listening to 
a sermon nearly one hour in length, had a very fair 
opportunity of forming an opinion. We found the 
Doctor to be rather a fine looking man, about forty-five 
years of age, and of a graceful delivery, although not 
very fluent in his style of speaking. 

His text was John xv. 26, 27 : " But when the 
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from 
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth 
from the Father, he shall testify of me : and ye also 
shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from 
the beginning." 

The first part of the sermon was commonplace 
enough, merely a discussion of the question, Were the 
Apostles credible witnesses ? This being finished, we 
reached the grand plunge — the great non sequitur^ on 
which all the rest was founded. " Having thus proved 
the truth of religion, I have in the same way demon- 
strated the truth of the Catholic Church," — mean- 
ing of course, the Roman Church. Here was the 
fallacy which ran through the whole discourse. The 
object evidently was to produce a confusion in the 
minds of his hearers, which would lead them to look 
upon the Catholic Church, and the Church of Rome, 
as synonymous terms, and the latter as the only devel- 
opment of religion in the world. This Church, he 
said, had always been a witness for the truth, never 
attempting to create anything new, but only to testify 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 145 

to what was primitive. And of this he would give two 
instances. 

The first was, when the Council of Nice (a. d. 325) 
expressed the voice of the whole Church in opposition 
to Arius, " who taught," said the Doctor, '' that our 
Lord was nothing more than a mere man." This, by 
the way, was a mistake in ecclesiastical history, thus to 
impute to Arius what no one ever pretended he held, 
and what w^as only avowed by the lowest Humanita- 
rians of a later day. 

The second instance was in the sixteenth century, 
when Luther had begun his heresy, and a General 
Council of the tvhole Christian worM assembled at 
Trent, and there recorded the condemnation of the 
Church against his views. 

This was the Doctor's ingenious parallel; making 
the Council of Trent as much the voice of the whole 
Church as the Council of Nice, and its decrees as 
weighty and binding. Protestantism was then held 
up to scorn, as being the creed of a most miserable, 
contemptible minority, and the audience were assured, 
that the Church of Rome had all the testimony of an- 
tiquity,— to give you his language, — '' looking back 
through a long chain of witnesses to the Apostles' days, 
without the least change or shadow of variation in opin- 
ion, not a single link being wanting," etc. Then fol- 
lowed a tirade against private judgment, and his hear- 
ers were left to suppose, that none who dissented from 
the Church of Rome had any rule of faith but their 
own unsettled opinions, while the unity of his own 
Church furnished a theme for lofty eulogium. The 
effect of Protestantism, he said, was shown in all the 
excesses jfrom Johanna Southcote to Mormonism, while 
10 



146 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

it was absolutely impossible that the weed of fanaticism 
could never take root in the Church of Rome. He 
talked, indeed, about their unity with as much assur- 
ance, as if the Port Royalists had never existed ; the 
Jesuits and Jansenists were sworn brethren ; and the 
Pope did not have occasion, every little while, to pro- 
scribe some new sect which springs up within their 
.bounds. 

Then came a passage on the security of their faith. 
"Hundreds of Protestants, at their last hour, had 
wished to be reconciled to the Church of Rome, while 
there never was — there never had been — a single 
Catholic who at that time wished a different faith." 
It would be difficult, indeed, for me to give, in this 
brief space, any idea of the ingenious evasions of the 
Vicar-General ; the shrewd and cunning manner in 
which he left his audience to infer things which he did 
not dare boldly to say, and the false impressions he con- 
veyed by only half stating a fact. Not a single refer- 
ence was made to the Church of England, or a hint 
given of its existence ; but his hearers were left to be- 
lieve that the only dissent from Rome was what was 
witnessed in the loose, floating sects of the Continent. 

He concluded by stating, that a collection would be 
made in aid of the missions of the Church of Rome, 
and some of the hooded friars, with their faces entirely 
covered, and only holes for their eyes, came forward to 
receive it. The sermon had certainly not disposed us 
to contribute to this object, nor did surrounding objects 
remove the impression. Above the High Altar was a 
magnificent silk canopy, which had been put up at 
Epiphany, and under it was what would be called, had 
it not been in church, a pretty puppet-show. It was a 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 147 

collection of figures, each about two feet high. On a 
lofty throne, raised several steps, sat the Virgin Mary 
with the infant Saviour in her arms, a magnificent 
crown on the head of each. By her side stood Joseph, 
and before her were '' the three wise men," offering 
their gifts. They, too, were splendidly attired, rather 
in the costume of the Middle Ages : caps with feathers, 
velvet dresses with gold embroidery, and a page be- 
hind each, holding up his train. Two of the Magi 
were white, and one black.^ Over them hung an im- 
mense star, cut of silver paper, two feet high, and, of 
course, ten times larger than the head of either of the 
wise men. And all this was just above the High 
Altar I 



From the sermon we went to the Church of the 
Capuchins, adjoining their monastery. It was erected 
by Cardinal Barberini, brother of Urban VIII., and 
he is buried beneath the pavement, with the simple in- 
scription, — 

" Hie jacet pulvis, cinis, et nihil." 

This Chapel boasts of one of Gudio's best works — 
the Archangel Michael trampling Lucifer under his 
feet. It has been called " The Catholic Apollo," from 
the majesty and grace with which the angel is clothed. 

1 They are called in Europe " the three Kings of Cologne," and we sub- 
sequently, in the Cathedral of that city, saw what are shown as their skulls. 
The legend is: that, when the Emperor Frederic Barbarossa stormed Milan, 
he obtained these bones, and presented them to the Bishop of Cologne, who 
had accompanied his expedition. Behind the High Altar is a magnificent 
shrine, within which are placed the coffins of silver-gilt, most curiously 
wrought. The skulls of the three kings are crowned with diadems of gold, 
studded with jewels, and inscribed with their names — Gaspar, Melchior, 
and Balthazar — written in rubies. The treasures employed about the 
shrine are estimated at more than 200,000 pounds sterling. 



148 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

My object, however, was to visit the cemeteiy beneath 
the Church. I found a monk loitering in one of the 
side chapels, as if waitmg to be cicerone to any visitors, 
and having made known my wish, he conducted me 
through the cloisters, and down a flight of steps into 
then' old burial-place. Here are several low chapels, 
in which the monks are interred, the ground being 
composed of earth brought from Jerusalem. The 
largest will contain about thirty graves, and the others 
a somewhat smaller number. Against the Avails on all 
sides, skulls are placed to the depth of nearly three 
feet, and arranged in such a way as to form niches, as 
if for statues. The other bones of the skeletons are 
around, and even above on the ceiling, as if some one 
in mockery had been sporting with these sad trophies 
of death. Legs, arms, ribs, spines, and fingers are 
there, formed into stars and diamonds, wreaths and 
festoons, altars and chandeliers, — every form, indeed, 
which caprice could dictate in this strange charnel- 
house. 

In each one of these niches stands the skeleton of a 
monk, arrayed in his old dress. The coarse brown 
serge is around him, with the cowl drawn over the 
fleshless skull ; sandals are tied on the feet ; the cord is 
about the waist ; the bones of the hands are clasped, 
holding a black cross, and dangling from them, also, a 
card inscribed with his name and the date of his death. 
Sometimes, instead of upright niches, they are horizon- 
tal in shape, and the skeletons are reclining as if at 
rest on their beds. They are first buried in the conse- 
crated earth below, the number of graves in which is 
kept always filled. When, therefore, a monk dies, he 
is interred in the oldest grave, and the skeleton which 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 149 

he displaces is arrayed in the monkish dress, and fixed 
in one of the niches. There he remains for years, un- 
til it is time for him to give place to some one else, and 
then his bones are mingled with the hundreds around 
him, who are forming fantastic shapes on the ceiling. 

It was, indeed, a ghastly display, a sort of caricature 
of death, to see these skulls grinning from under their 
hoods, — some white and glistening, some with the 
brown skin still undecayed and drawn like parchment 
over the bones. The teeth had fallen from their 
mouths, or else remained there black with age. And 
thus they are tied up, bending forward from their shal- 
low niches, until they drop to pieces or are obliged 
to give place to others. The old monk spoke to me 
only in a low whisper, and seemed awed by the spirit 
of the place. He saw, indeed, his brethren around 
him, their dress of brown sackcloth exactly like his 
own, and before him, in one of these little chapels, was 
to be, first his grave, and then the niche from which, 
perhaps a century hence, his ghastly skeleton would 
look forth, a show to those who come after us. 

On the Festival of All Souls, the scene which is wit- 
nessed here is still more striking. A solemn service is 
held in this Chapel of the Dead, and masses are offered 
for their souls. Garlands are placed on the white 
skulls of the skeleton monks, and bouquets of flowers in 
their hands. The brethren of the Order gather around 
the altar, formed of the bones of those who have gone 
before them, and the lights which flash from above are 
upheld by chandeliers of the same ghastly materials. 
The dead and the living meet together; and prayers 
are uttered by the aged men as they kneel at this mel- 
ancholy shrine ; and incense floats in clouds around 



150 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

these spoils of the tomb. But as they sing the hymns 
for the dead, with what solemn emphasis must they 
chant the words of the "Dies Irse," — 

" Lacrymosa dies ilia 
Qua resurget ex favilla 
Judicandus homo reus. 
Huic ergo parce Deus, 
Pie Jesu Domine ! 
Dona eis requiem." 

" That day of doom, that day of tears, 
When guilty man awakes in fears, 
From dust, and 'fore his Judge appears. 
O bounteous Jesus, Lord forever blest ! 
Give faithful souls departed endless rest.'* 





CHAPTER XIII. 

CHRISTIAN ART. OVERBECK. 

NE of the wonders of Rome at the present 
day is a German artist of the name of Over- 
beck, with whose reputation we had been 
famihar long before we left home. He is 
said to have broughr Christian art to a higher degree 
of perfection than any who are now living. It is one 
of the pleasures indeed of this land of paintings and 
statues, to study the progress of art in past ages, 
and to mark how it has been gradually modified 
and changed by the progress of the religious prin- 
ciple. 

The ancient Greeks worshipped only physical 
beauty, and deified the human form. They drew 
their inspiration from the old Mythology, and in the 
arts produced Apollo as the model of manly vigor, and 
Venus as the embodiment of female loveliness. They 
bequeathed this feeling to those who came after them 
and studied their creations of matchless grace ; and 
thus for ages artists seemed to seek their inspiration 
only in "the fair humanities of old religions." Form- 
ing to themselves a standard of ideal beauty, they 
mused over it through long years of earnest toil, seek- 
ing to develop the conception and perpetuate it in 
the changeless marble. Sometimes every thought and 



152 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

effort were concentrated upon a single statue, which 
was to embody his ideas of perfection. In it the artist 
enshrined the noble visions he had cherished, and it 
constituted at once the history of his own mind and 
the labor of his life. 

But as the Christian faith prevailed and sunk deeper 
into the heart of the world, a higher principle seemed 
to be breathed into the arts, and we can trace its prog- 
ress as the mediseval ages went on. Christianity 
gradually spiritualized and elevated the old concep- 
tions of beauty. The religious feeling became im- 
pressed upon the artist's mind, and the Madonna, with 
her chastened loveliness and holy associations, took 
the place of the Queen of Love. The students of art 
cultivated the poetry of religion. In the last century, 
indeed, an aesthetic school w^as formed on these princi- 
ples, which for a long time exercised a great influence 
on the Rhine, but has now sunk out of notice. One 
of its members has beautifally set forth their view^s in 
a work entitled, '' Reveries of an Art-loving Monk.'' 
The writer had once been a Protestant, but so de- 
voted was he to these studies that he became a Ro- 
manist, because, as he said, '^ he could not worship the 
art without subscribing to the faith which gave it 
birth." 

This is almost the history of Overbeck. At the 
beginning of the present century he was dismissed 
from the Academy at Vienna, because he did not con- 
form himself to the artistical rules laid down by the 
institution. He almost entirely discarded the use of 
models, except for the arrangement of drapery, be- 
cause he thought them unfavorable to the ideal con- 
ception of character. He trusted to his own vivid 

\ 



THE CHRISTMAS HGLYDAYS IN ROME. 153 

imagination to delineate correctly the images which 
floated before his mind. In 1809 he came to Rome, 
where he was shortly joined by Peter Cornelius and 
WilHam Schadow, men like-minded with himself, and 
for a time they lived in perfect seclusion, perfecting 
their new principles of art. 

They soon announced their fundamental doctrine, 
that a deep devotional feeling was the true source of 
an artist's inspiration. Thus, they became the apos- 
tles of a new faith which was not long wanting in 
disciples. They discarded the theatrical attitudes 
taken from the danseurs of the ballet, and became 
more true to nature, while at the same time they gave 
everything a religious character. But with some of 
their number professional enthusiasm was carried to 
an extent which led them back into the bosom of the 
Romish Church. They found indeed more affinity 
between the practice of the arts and her gorgeous 
services, than they did in the chilling, rationalistic 
creed in which they had been educated. Such was 
the case with Overbeck and Schadow, while Cornelius, 
we believe, remained unchanged. But these religious 
differences entered into their artistical feelings — di- 
minished somewhat their fraternal intercourse — and 
the little brotherhood at last separated. Schadow and 
his pupils returned to Dusseldorf, where he was placed 
at the head of the Academy ; Cornelius was employed 
by the King of Bavaria at Munich ; while Overbeck 
preferred remaining at Rome, where everything suited 
his own peculiar temperament.^ 

During the years which have since passed, Over- 

i Histoire de VArt Modcrne en Allemagne. Par le Compte A. Raczyn- 
ski. 



154 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

beck has continued a most bigoted Romanist, but at 
the same time celebrated for his austere life and saint- 
like character. He is indeed a perfect ascetic — one 
who in another age would have been canonized — liv- 
ing only for his faith, and using his art but to minister 
to its development. His very appearance tells his 
character. Thin, and even emaciated, there is some- 
thing spiritual in his whole look, and it conveys the 
idea of one worn down by fasts and vigils. His studio 
is open but for two hours in one single day of the 
week, and then his rooms are filled, and he is there 
himself to explain the pictures. The remark had fre- 
quently been made to me, that " they were as good as 
sermons," and they certainly seemed to produce a 
calming influence on those who studied them. There 
was an absence of that laughing conversation wliich is 
heard in other studios, but the visitors talked in a low 
voice, as if affected by the very atmosphere and spirit 
of the place. And there stood the artist himself, with 
his rapt and earnest look, his gaze perhaps intently 
fixed on some drawing before him, his whole appear- 
ance harmonizing admirably with the scene in which 
he was an actor. 

Overbeck devotes himself entirely to subjects of a 
strictly religious character, generally in illustration of 
some part of Scripture history. He paints but little — 
the only pieces he has executed being, I believe, altar- 
pieces for some churches. He merely draws in char- 
coal, and his sketches are afterwards engraved, while 
the originals are purchased by a society in Germany 
which is desirous of forming a complete collection of 
his works. The wonder is, the effect — the expres- 
sion he can produce with such simple materials. A 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 155 

sheet of paper, a piece of charcoal, and bread for 
erasure — these are all he requires to create the beau- 
tiful forms which almost seem to '' live and move and 
have their being" before us. He throws his whole 
soul into the conception, and all liis deep devotion 
breathes forth from every figure. He one day over- 
heard a lady, who was looking at one of his drawings, 
exclaim, "How beautiful! how graceful!" "Mad- 
ame," said he, "it pains me to hear you say so. I 
was in hopes of making them more than beautiful and 
graceful. I wished them to be religious." 

In most of his drawings, the figure of our Lord is 
introduced, and it is in this that the artist particularly 
excels. There is a degree of calm and heavenly 
beauty, united with a commanding dignity, which is 
seen in the pictures of no other artist. In this partic- 
ular Raphael has not excelled him in his celebrated 
picture of " The Transfiguration." Overbeck, indeed, 
some time ago published a work, in which he asserted 
that no one could paint religious subjects without be- 
ing himself a religious man. Correct, however, as the 
principle may be, his illustration of it is singularly un- 
fortunate, for he applies it to Raphael, asserting that 
in his latter days, when he devoted his pencil and tal- 
ent to the sensual mythology of Greece and Rome, he 
incapacitated himself for the loftier delineation of sub- 
jects of a sacred character. As he forcibly expresses 
it, " When Raphael forsook God, God forsook him." 
But who that has sat for hours without weariness be- 
fore his "Holy Family" — the "Madonna della Seg- 
giola " — in the Pitti Palace at Florence, but must enter 
his protest against such an assertion ! There is an ex- 
pression of indescribable beauty in the countenance of 



156 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

the Virgin — the mingling of deep maternal love with 
the lofty consciousness of being the Mother of our 
Lord, which forces on us the conviction that in the 
closing years of life he had not lost the high ideal 
character of his earlier Madonnas. Still more is the 
feeling deepened when we stand in the Hall of the 
Vatican, and gaze upon his last and noblest painting, 
which the hand of Death left unfinished, but which has 
remained for three centuries, the* very triumph and 
miracle of art. 

We may, however, apply Overbeck's theory to him- 
self, for there can be no doubt but that his deep de- 
votional feeling is the inspiration which gives life and 
reality to the figures he sketches. When we were at 
his studio, he was employed on a half-finished picture 
of " The Scourging of our Lord," in which the mild 
yet lofty endurance of the patient sufferer is finely 
contrasted with the demoniacal expression on the coun- 
tenances of the tormentors. The face of each one is 
intended to represent some particular vice, such as 
pride, anger, envy, and it needs no key to point out 
which is delineated. Another drawing was, — " Our 
Lord sitting in the Boat, and preaching to the Multi- 
tudes on Shore." His arms are extended towards 
them, and His expression is the rapt look of one who 
alone could fully realize liow much depended on their 
acceptance of His offers. Near it hangs " The Massa- 
cre of the Innocents." In the gallery at Bologna we 
have seen Guido's celebrated picture on the same sub- 
ject. It has all the advantage of his splendid coloring, 
and the wildness of the different groups, the agony of 
the mothers, and the marble paleness of the infants, 
are most remarkable ; and yet, in some respects, we 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 157 

prefer this sketch by Overbeck. We shudder as we 
look at Guido's. It is too painful in its interest. Here, 
on the contrary, the story is told with equal power, and 
yet the groups are arranged with such skill, as to show 
the strikmg points of the scene, at the same time skill- 
fully veiling those which are too revolting to the feel- 
ings. My favorite picture, however, among them all, 
is one to illustrate " The Parable of the Ten Virgins." 
Some are trimming their lamps, while others are just 
starting from sleep, and in the distance is seen the ap- 
proaching train of the bridegroom. Had not the artist 
objected to the terms, I should say that the female 
figures were exceedingly graceful and beautiful. 

There is also one large allegorical picture, from 
which he has painted an altar-piece for the church 
at Frankfort. It represents " The Triumph of Chris- 
tianity over the Arts." In the upper part of the picture 
is the Madonna holding the infant Christ, to represent 
Religion, and below her are the different schools of 
artists : sculptors, painters, architects, and poets. All 
are looking towards her, and engaged in some work 
which is to advance the worship of her Son. Many of 
them are portraits which we recognize. There stands 
Michael Angelo holding his plan of St. Peter's ; and 
Raphael, whose name brings to the mind such associa- 
tions of beauty ; and Dante, whose genius, on its bold 
and fearless wing, was able to penetrate into the un- 
seen world ; and Tasso, wearing the laurel crown which 
so well becomes the author of ^'Jerusalem Delivered." 

But where among them all is so perfect an illustra- 
tion of the triumph of our Faith over Art, as is fur- 
nished by Overbeck himself ? Every talent, and 
thought, and feeling, is consecrated to this cause. His 



158 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

object is not only to delineate the beautiful In nature, 
or to arrest and perpetuate by his pencil the bright 
visions which flit before his own Inward soul, but 
through these Instruments to Inspire all around him 
with that love of moral beauty, which Is a necessary 
characteristic of '' the pure In heart." 




CHAPTER XIV. 

EXCURSION ON THE APPIAN WAY, 




E have been waiting for a peculiarly fine day 
to make an excursion beyond the walls, and 
this morning, one of the most beautiful that 
ever dawned, was all that we could desire. 
Although the seventh of January, yet the sun was 
shining so warmly, that in our land it would have 
passed for June, while there was a freshness in the air, 
which, as Madame de Stael says, " produces something 
of melody on the senses." 

We set out for the romantic fountain of Egeria, 
about three miles from the gates of the city, yet ex- 
pecting, with the intermediate places of interest, to find 
full employment for the day. Our course led us past 
the Capitoline Hill, and through the Roman Forum, 
with its lofty, solitary pillars, gleaming in the sunlight, 
the Forum, — 

. . . . " Where once the mightiest spirits met 
In terrible conflict ; this, while Rome was free, 
The noblest theatre on this side heaven." 

We crossed the Via Sacra^ passed under the arches 
of Titus and Constantine, turned from the Coliseum, 
and winding round the base of the Palatine Hill, and 
the mighty ruins of the Palace of the Caesars, entered 
the Appian Way. Constructed nearly eighteen cen- 
turies ago, its solid pavement is now as firm as ever, 



160 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

and we rode over the same stones which in Rome's 
glorious day were trodden by the triumphal procession, 
as it slowly passed up to the Capitol. The roads which 
extended to all parts of the Empire were among the 
few works of utility constructed by the Romans, and 
these we can see were designed by Providence, that 
the world should thus devise the means by which the 
Church was to win it back to herself. " The legions 
of great Rome were for some centuries toihng with the 
pickaxe and spade, to construct mighty roads by which 
Apostles might compass the ends of the earth. Those 
huge arteries were the unconscious preparation which 
poor, blind Paganism was making for the more rapid 
circulation of the fresh blood that should spring up and 
stir that monstrous Empire, and be an element at once 
of health and of destruction." ^ 

The old Appian Way was distinguished for the splen- 
dor of the monuments lining its sides, — similar to 
those now seen in the Street of the Tombs in Pompeii, 
— and Cicero refers to them when he says, in his 
'^ Tusculan Disputations," — ''When you go out of the 
Porta Capena, and see the tombs of Calatinus, the 
Scipios, the Servilii, and the MeteUi, can you consider 
that the buried inmates are unhappy? " 

Let us endeavor then to call back seventeen cen- 
turies, and cause to pass before us the scenes of a 
CLASSICAL FUNERAL, as ouce it took place on this spot. 
It is the burial of one of the Metelli in the early age of 
the Empire, when the practice of interring the body 
had ceased, and that of burning been substituted in its 
place. The Libertinarii (undertakers) have performed 
their duty, and for some days the body, dressed in the 

1 F. W. Faber. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 161 

official robes which once it wore, has been exposed on 
a couch in the vestibule of the house, with its feet to- 
wards the door, and the branch of cypress waving 
above it. But it is now the eighth day, the time for 
the funeral, and the Appian Way is filled with crowds, 
who have poured out to see the Patrician's burial. At 
length there came the slow procession, the wail of 
voices becoming gradually more distinct, while, when 
it ceased, the music heard in its place sounded subdued 
and mournfully. First walked the Master of Cere- 
monies, attended by lictors dressed in black ; then the 
musicians playing their sorrowful strains ; then the 
mourning women, who were hired to lament the de- 
ceased, and sing the funeral song in his praise ; then 
the slaves whom he had freed, wearing the cap of lib- 
erty ; then the images of his many ancestors, and the 
military rewards he had gained. The corpse itself 
came next, on a couch of ivory, covered with purple 
and gold. A garland of withered flowers, enwreathed 
with fillets of white wool, crowned his head ; in his 
mouth was the coin to pay the ferryman in Hades, and 
by his side the honey-cake to bribe the watchful Cer- 
berus. Leaves and flowers, too, were strewn upon the 
bier, which was borne on the shoulders of the nearest 
relatives. Behind came his family in mourning, and as 
they walked they uttered loudly their lamentations, the 
females beating their breasts, and wounding their faces 
with their nails. 

But they have at length reached the funeral pyre, 
as it stood altar-like in its shape, and covered with 
dark leaves and the cypress branches consecrated to 
the tomb. Loudly they chanted the Hymn for the 

Dead, while all arranged themselves round it, and the 
11 



162 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

body was placed on its top. Then the nearest relative 
advanced, and with his face averted applied the torch. 
Perfumed oil had been poured over the wood, and 
the flames therefore encircled it at once, and darted up 
high into the air. For a long time the multitude stood 
around in a dread silence, while the priests flung per- 
fumes into the fire, until the pile was consumed. 
Then the attendants came forward and poured red 
wine upon the hot, burning ashes, while the relatives 
gathered them with the bones into the urn. The ser- 
vice was now over ; the priest, with the laurel branch 
in his hand, sprinkled those around with water of puri- 
fication, and dismissed them with the word Ilieet. 
And as they departed to the city, each one often 
turned and bade farewell to the deceased with the 
mournful word Fa?6, while the parting Hymn swelled 
iloudly forth with its touching tones : — 



" Farewell, soul departed ! 
Farewell, sacred urn ! 
Bereaved and broken-hearted, 
To earth the mourners turn ! 
To the dim and dreary shore, 
Thou art gone our steps before ! 
JBut thither the swift hours lead us, 
And thou dost but a while precede us ! 

Salve — salve! 
Loved um, and thou solemn cell, 
Mute .ashes ! — farewell, farewell ! 

Salve — salve ! 

II. 

" nicet — ire licet — 
Ah, vainly would we part ! 
Thy tomb is in the faithful heart. 
About evermore we bear thee ; 
For who from the heart can tear thee? 
Vainly we snrinkle o'er us 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 163 

The drops of the cleansing stream ; 
And vainly bright before us 

The lustral fire shall beam. 
For where is the charm expelling 
Thy thoughts from its sacred dwelling? 
Our griefs are thy funeral feast, 
And memory thy mourning priest. 
Salve — salve ! 

III. 

" Ilicet — ire licet — 
The spark from the hearth is gone 

Wherever the air shall bear it; 
The elements take their own ; 

The shadows receive thy spirit. 
It will soothe thee to feel our grief, 

As thou glid'st by the gloomy river; 
If love may in life be brief, 

In death it is fixed forever. 

Salve — salve ! 
In the hall which our feasts illume 
The rose for an hour may bloom ; 
But the cypress that decks the tomb — 
The cypress is green forever ! 

Salve —salve! " i 

The last lines have dispelled the vision, the shadows 
are gone, and there is nothing here but the barren 
Campagna, and the desolate tombs of Rome's for- 
gotten sons. Yet more picturesque remains I have 
never seen ; mighty masses of stone or brick-work 
utterly ruined during the wars of the Middle Ages, 
covered with rank vegetation, the wild vines trailing 
around them, or sometimes — 

*' With two thousand years of ivy grown 
The garland of Eternity, where wave 
The green leaves over all by time o'erthrown." 

We first stopped at one of those to which Cicero 

A This Hymn is by Sir E. L. Bulwer, and although not a translation, yei 
embodies so much of the spirit of the old Hymns for the Dead, that we can- 
not forbear giving it. 



164 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

refers — the tomb of the Scipios. It is in a vineyard 
on the hill-side, with a single solitary cypress rising 
above it. Fortunately, it became covered by the soil, 
and was thus forgotten and unknown until the year 
1780. By accident it was then discovered, and its 
vaults once more opened, after being closed for 
twenty-one centuries ! The front is formed with 
arches and Doric columns, presenting a chaste facade. 
We stopped at a stone gate having over it the inscrip- 
tion, Sepulchro degli Scipioni^ and the sound of wheels 
having brought the usual cicerone with a tribe of assist- 
ants from their residence in the vineyard, we mounted 
the broken steps which led to the tomb. Here tapers 
were lighted and we prepared to descend. I had ex- 
pected a single chamber, but found instead a series of 
passages — dark and damp — extending far into the 
hill-side. The principal sarcophagus has been re- 
moved to the Vatican, where we had already seen it. 
Our guide pointed out the place from which it was 
taken. It bore the name of the great-grandfather of 
Scipio Africanus, who was Consul b. c. 297, and 
when opened, the skeleton was still entire, with the 
ring upon one of its fingers. This relic is now in 
the collection of the Earl of Beverley, in England. 
Among other inscriptions remaining here, we saw one 
commemorative of the Scipio who conquered in Spain, 
and received from thence his name of Hispanus. The 
noblest of them all, Scipio Africanus, is not buried 
here. Driven by the ingratitude of his countrymen 
from the city he had saved, the last part of his life 
was passed at Liternum, near Naples, and there are 
still shown the remains of his monument with a por- 
tion of the inscription, — '' Ingrata patria," etc. In an 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 165 

excursion which we made to Baiae, the guide took us 
to the top of a httle hill, from which we could see in 
the distance the white and glistening marble, which 
shows where — 

" Scipio sleeps by the upbraiding shore." 

But what solemn ftmeral rites must have been here 
performed in this old vineyard, as one by one the 
members of this noble family were borne to their sep- 
ulchre, and white-robed priests gathered about this 
portal by which now we stood, and eloquent orators 
declaimed, and these hills around were covered by the 
thousands of Rome who had poured out to do honor 
to him who in Africa or Spain had led their armies to 
victory ! Who could then have prophesied, that this 
would be despoiled of its noblest dust, and turned into 
a common show-place ! 

" The Scipios' tomb contains no ashes now ; 
The very sepulchres lie tenantless 
Of their heroic dwellers." 

In the same vineyard is a large Columbarium, a 
place where were deposited urns filled with the ashes 
of the slaves and freedmen. It was only discovered 
about four years since, and is therefore almost in its 
antique state. Upon descending into it, we found our- 
selves in an immense chamber, surrounded by little 
niches, each containing an urn. We removed the 
cover from several, which were still filled with ashes 
and calcined bones. Above each was a little slab con- 
taining the name. Some inscriptions I copied. " Ne 
tangito O mortalis. Reverere manes deos." " Hie 
reliciae Pelopis. Sit tibi terra lebis." It will be per- 
ceived that the Latin here would scarcely be called 
classical. One slave rejoiced in the name of " Scribo- 



166 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

nia Cleopatra." . Some of tlie freedmen were evidently 
men of consideration, as it is said of one, — " patri 
bene merenti." One, we are told, was a member of 
the praetorian guard; another was butler to his mas- 
ter ; another an actor, " imitator." Sometimes it is re- 
corded on the little monument, — " frater ejus fecit ; " 
sometimes, — '' pia mater fecit." Beneath, in a niche, 
still stands the little altar, wdth the inscription dedica- 
tincr it to '' Diis manibus," and above on the frescoes 
are the paintings, representing the Cock, and other 
emblems connected with j3Esculapius and Mors. 

From this we went to another in the same vineyard, 
smaller, but similar in character. The frescoes here 
are as fresh as if yesterday they were painted, and the 
bronze lamp still hangs from the ceiling, just as it was 
left, perhaps two thousand years ago. The ashes of 
these slaves yet remain, while the old heroic Scipios 
have been torn from their sepulchres, and their bones 
scattered. 

Adjoining is a field, in which the Vestal Virgins, who 
proved unfaithful to their vows, w^ere buried alive. 
After being scourged and stripped of her badges of 
office, the offender was attired like a corpse, and borne 
through the Forum with all the ceremonies of a real 
funeral. A vault had been prepared under ground, 
with a couch, and lamp, and table, with a little food, 
and to this the culprit was led by the Pontifex Maxi- 
mus, the earth was closed over the surface, and she 
was left to her lingering death. 

We drove on to the Church of San Sebastian, erected 
on the spot where tradition says that saint suffered 
martyrdom. The Church w^as open, and deserted, ex- 
cept by the beggars, who were sunning themselves in 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 167 

the porch, and it was with some trouble that we were 
able to find any one to be our guide. An old monk, 
with the cord round his waist, at length appeared, and 
in most choice Italian we signified our wish to descend 
into the Catacombs. This is one of the openings, and 
from here they have been traced (it is said) for twenty 
miles, but owing to the loss of life from persons wan- 
dering into them, most of the intricate passages have 
now been closed. In the sacristy of the Church, a plan 
of the Catacombs, as they extend for a few miles, was 
hanging up, which represented them as being most 
complicated — crossing and recrossing in every possible 
way. A Jesuit, belonging to the Church of Gesu, in 
Rome, was about to publish a new engraving, but it was 
not yet completed when we left the city. The passages 
are generally ranged, one above the other, in three 
stories, and this renders them more intricate from the 
many stairs which ascend and descend. 

Each one of the party was furnished with a light, and 
we followed our guide down a flight of stone steps, 
worn by the feet of the multitudes who had trodden 
them for eighteen centuries past. At the bottom com- 
menced the Catacombs, — damp, winding passages, — 
often not more than three feet wide, and so low that 
sometimes we were obliged to stoop. Then, again, they 
would expand into apartments arched overhead, and 
large enough to contain a small company. On each 
side were cavities, in which were placed the bodies of 
the dead, or niches for the urns containing their ashes, 
and small apertures, where lamps were found. But 
few sarcophagi were discovered here, for no pomp or 
ceremony attended the burial of the early Christians, 
when their friends hastily laid them in these dark 



168 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

vaults. They sought not the sculptured marble to in- 
close their remains, but were contented with the rude 
emblems which were carved above, merely to show 
that for the body resting there they expected a share 
in the glory of the Resurrection. Very many of the 
graves were those of children, and sometimes a whole 
family were interred together. The cavities were cut 
into the soft stone, just large enough for the body, with 
a semicircular excavation for the head, and the opening 
was closed with a thin slab of marble. 

Most of the inscriptions have been removed to the 
Museum of the Vatican, where we had already seen 
them. They are arranged there in the same gallery 
with those found in Pagan tombs, and contrast with 
them most strongly in their constant reference to a 
state beyond the grave, Avhile on the Roman monu- 
ments are no expressions but those of hopeless grief. 
It shows how immediate was the elevating influence of 
the new creed. Nothing, indeed, which is gloomy or 
painfal finds a place among these records of the mar- 
tyrs. They evidently laid the athlete of Christ to his 
rest without any sorrow that his fight was over, or any 
expression of vengeance against those who doomed him 
to death. They thought too much of his celestial rec- 
ompense to associate with it the tortures and evils of 
this lower life. The words " in pace " are frequently 
to be deciphered, and in one case I made out, — '^ in 
pace et in f." They are covered, too, with symbolical 
representations. The most frequent are the well- 
known monogram of Christ, formed by the Greek let- 
ters X and P, — the old emblem of the fish, IX0Y2, the 
letters of which are composed of the initials of the 
Greek words, 'It/o-ovs Xpia-To^ ©cou Ylos '^oirrjp, '' Jesus 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 169 

Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour ; " the ship, to rep- 
resent the Church ; the anchor, an emblem of hope ; 
the stag, to show " the hart which thirsteth after the 
water brooks ; the hare, the timid Christian hunted by 
persecutors ; the Hon, the emblem of the tribe of 
Judah; the dove, indicating the simplicity, and the 
cock, the vigilance of the Christian ; the peacock and 
the phoenix, emblems of the Resurrection ; the vine, 
the olive branch, the palm, and the lamb. Some bear 
the signs of martyrdom, and one only, a rudely sculp- 
tured view of a man devoured by wild beasts. 

These are the simple memorials by which devotion 
endeavored to hallow the tombs of the departed, and 
inscribe upon them the unfading hopes w^hich live 
beyond the grave. Even the Cross itself, the primal 
symbol of Christianity, which for ages was used in its 
simplest form, seemed to convey to their minds nothing 
depressing or melancholy. They adorned it with 
crowns and flowers, as if rather a sign of all that 
was cheerful and inspiring. 

It is instructive to remark, that in none of these 
monuments of the early centuries do we see any rep- 
resentation of the Godhead, as is now so common in 
the Romish churches, under the figures of an old man, 
a young man, and a dove. The reason has been ad- 
mirably given by Milman, when he says, — " Reveren- 
tial awe, diffidence in their own skill, the still dominant 
sense of the purely spiritual nature of the Parental 
Deity, or perhaps the exclusive habit of dwelling upon 
the Son as the direct object of religious worship, re- 
strained early Christian art from those attempts to 
which we are scarcely reconciled by the sublimity and 
originality of Michael Angelo and Raphael. Even 



170 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

the symboKc representation of the Father was rare. 
Where it does appear, it is under the symbol of an 
immense hand issuing from a cloud, or a ray of light 
streaming from heaven, to imply, it may be presumed, 
the creative and all-enlightening power of the Univer- 
sal Father." The earliest instance we have of the 
Eternal Father represented under a human form, is 
contained in a Latin Bible, — described by Montfau- 
con, — which was presented by the Canons of the 
Church of Tours to Charles the Bold, in the year 
850. So long did it take the monkish artists of the 
Church to reach the present height of irreverence ! 

Neither do we find in the Roman Catacombs any 
representation of the Virgin and Child. This too was 
a subject unattempted in the early Church. And 
when at last they began thus to shadow forth their 
conceptions of the maternal tenderness of the mother 
for the Infant Saviour, she is always represented veiled. 
They endeavored to express the idea by the attitude 
alone, without attempting to portray the mingled feel- 
ings which they supposed should characterize the 
countenance of her, who with all the affections of 
human nature was chosen to be the Mother of the 
Lord. It was not, we believe, till the sixth century 
that these representations were seen ; and then as the 
superstitious feeling increased which led to the worship 
of the Virgin, she was more and more surrounded with 
those emblems which exalted her at last to adoration as 
the Queen of Heaven. 

The same statement is true with regard to the Cru- 
cifixion. Not a single attempt to portray it is to be 
seen on any of these ancient monuments. The early 
Church evidently viewed this mysterious subject with 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 171 

a reverence too deep and awful to allow its members 
to attempt a delineation. There is indeed no symbol 
of our faith, in the use of which we can trace the suc- 
cessive steps so clearly as in this.-^ The lofty faith of 
the primitive Christians dwelt so much upon the Di- 
vinity of our Lord, that they shrank in reverence from 
the idea of coarsely representing the mere corporeal 
pangs which weighed Him down in the hour of His 
mortal agony. Such thoughts were reserved for the 
days of monachism, when the gloomy monks, who 
were the artists of the Church, brooded in the solitude 
of their cells over these scenes of suffering, and when 
they attempted to portray them, forgetting all that was 
tender and sublime, furnished only that which was 
painful and repulsive. The followers of St. Basil, we 
are told, gave the last degradation to this solemn sub- 
ject, and spread through Western Christendom me- 
morials of the Passion which were only " of the earth, 
earthly." 

These Catacombs therefore furnish a valuable chap- 
ter for Ecclesiastical History, for we derive from them 
most of the information we have with regard to Chris- 
tian symbolism. The early martyrs, by whom they were 
for a long w^hile peopled, '' being dead, still speak." 
They tell their own simple faith and devotion by the 
changeless emblems which are as expressive as words. 
And as we trace these pictured inscriptions down 



1 Cardinal Bona — as quoted by Milman, to whose History of Christianity 
we have been much indebted on this subject — gives the following as the 
progress of the gradual change : I. The simple Cross. II. The Cross with 
the Lamb at the foot of it. III. Christ clothed on the Cross, with hands 
uplifted in prayer, but not nailed to it. IV. Christ fastened to the Cross 
with four nails, still living, and with open eyes. He was not represented 
as dead till the tenth or eleventh century. 



172 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

through successive generations, they unfold to us the 
gradual change which crept over the feelings of the 
Church. It seems to present a strange contrast. The 
respect of its members for her who was '' blessed 
among women " gradually deepened into adoration, 
while a reverence for some of the most sublime mys- 
teries of our faith was proportionally fading from their 
minds. Themes which at first they regarded with so 
sacred an awe that they scarcely dared to comment 
on them in words, lost at last their divine idealism, 
and were coarsely shadowed forth by sensible objects. 
Thus it is that in her own bosom, and in places which 
she consecrates as most holy, Papal Rome contains 
the evidence of that silent change which, as centuries 
went by, was working in the minds of her members. 

Our guide pointed out to us, as we passed along, 
some tombs which had never been opened, and whose 
inmates had been left to slumber on as seventeen cen- 
turies ago they were laid to their rest. There was 
one, the thin marble side of which had cracked, so 
that he could insert a small taper. He bade us look in, 
and there we saw the remains of the skeleton, lying 
as it was placed by its brethren in the faith in those 
early days of persecution and trial. In these gloomy 
caverns the followers of our Lord were then accus- 
tomed to meet, thus in secret to eat the bread of life, 
and with tears to drink the water of life. In one of 
these little chapels which tradition has thus conse- 
crated, there were found still remaining, a simple 
earthen altar, and an antique Cross set in the rock 
above it. It was with no ordinary feelings that we 
stood on this spot and looked on these evidences of 
early worship. They had remained here perhaps un- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 173 

changed since the days of the Apostles, and where 
we then were, men may have bowed in prayer who 
had themselves seen their Lord in the flesh. The re- 
mains were around us of those who had received the 
mightiest of all consecrations, that of sufiering, and 
whose spirits were as noble as any who had their 
proud monuments on the Appian Way, and whose 
names are now as '' familiar in our ears as household 
words." But no historian registered the deeds of the 
despised Nazarenes. They had no poet, and they 
died. 

" Carent quia vate sacro." 

This was to us a most interesting scene, yet one to 
be felt more than to be described. We were glad 
however to ascend the worn steps and find ourselves 
once more in the Church above. We noticed, indeed, 
that the corners we turned in these intricate passages 
were marked with white paint to guide us, yet a sud- 
den current of air extinguishing our lights would make 
these signs useless, and from the crumbHng nature 
of the rock there is always danger of the caving in 
of a gallery, or some other accident, which might in- 
volve a party in one common fate. Some years ago, 
we were told, a school of nearly thirty youth with 
their teacher entered these Catacombs on a visit, and 
never reappeared. Every search was made, but in 
vain. The scene which then was exhibited in these 
dark passages, and the chill which gradually crept over 
their young spirits as hope yielded to despair could be 
described only by Dante, in terms in which he has por- 
trayed the death of Ugolino and his sons in the Tower 
of Famine at Pisa.^ 

1 Inf. xxxiii. 21-75. 



174 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

On reentering the Church, the old monk hghted two 
candles in a side chapel, and with great reverence 
proceeded to display a host of relics, such as the blood 
of the martyrs, and the arrows with which St. Sebas- 
tian was pierced. The most holy relic is a stone con- 
taining impressions of our Saviour's feet. As St. Peter 
was fleeing from Rome to avoid martyrdom, — the le- 
gend tells us, — he met our Lord apparently going 
towards it. " Domine, quo vadis?" (Lord, whither 
goest thou?) asked the Apostle, and was answered, 
that his Master was going to suffer death again, since 
His servants deserted their post. St. Peter therefore 
returned and submitted to death, but on the place 
where his Lord stood were found these indentations in 
the hard stone, and a Church has been erected there, 
called by the name, " Domine quo vadis." Our faith 
however not being very strong, we soon turned from 
these wonders, and drove to our next stopping-place — 
the tomb of Caecilia Metella. This is one of the best 
preserved antiquities in Rome, a massive tower seventy 
feet in diameter, which Lord Byron has well described 
in the lines — 

" There is a stem round tower of other days, 
Firm as a fortress, with its fence of stone, 
Such as an army's baffled strength delays, 
Standing with half its battlements alone." 

No one indeed would take it for anything but a for- 
tress. Built of massive granite blocks, and with walls 
twenty-five feet thick, it seems intended to defy the 
inroads of time and the strength of man. We entered 
the low portal, and there among the ruins which had 
fallen about, and the trailing ivy which hung in heavy 
festoons, we came to the single apartment in the cen- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 175 

tre, now open above to the sky. And yet, the sole 
treasure placed in this tower of strength, so guarded 
and enshrined, was — a woman's grave. By some it is 
conjectured to have been the wife of Metellus ; by 
others, his daughter. Standing within the monument, 
we read the speculations of Childe Harold on this sub- 
ject, which are some of the finest stanzas he has ever 
written. We cannot forbear copying them, although 
they may be familiar to many of our readers. 

" But who was she, the lady of the dead, 

Tomb'd in a palace? Was she chaste and fair? 

Worthy a king's — or more — a Roman's bed ? 

What race of chiefs and heroes did she bear ? 

What daughter of her beauties was the heir ? 

How lived — how loved — how died she ? Was she not 

So honor'd — and conspicuously there, 

Where meaner relics must not dare to rot. 
Placed to commemorate a more than mortal lot! 

" Perchance she died in youth : it may be, bow'd 

With woes far heavier than the ponderous tomb 

That weigh'd upon her gentle dust; a cloud 

Might gather o'er her beauty, and a gloom 

In her dark eye, prophetic of the doom 

Heaven gives its favorites — early death; yet shed 

A sunset charm around her, and illume 

With hectic light, the Hesperus of the dead, 
Of her consuming cheek the autumnal leaf-like red. 

" Perchance she died in age — surviving all, 
Charms, kindred, children — with the silver gray 
On her long tresses, which might yet recall, 
It may be, still a something of the day 
When they were braided, and her proud array 
And lovely form were envied, praised, and eyed 
By Rome — but whither would conjecture stray? 
Thus much alone we know — Metella died. 
The wealthiest Roman's wife: behold his love or pride! " 

But all this care has proved useless. The splendid 
sarcophagus of white marble has long since been re- 



176 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

moved from its little chamber so massively built up, and 
may be seen standing in the open court of the Farnese 
Palace, exposed to the action of every storm. And the 
tomb itself has been devoted to a purpose far different 
from that intended by the builder. . "• This," says Sis- 
mondi, '' with the tombs of Adrian and Augustus, be- 
came fortresses of banditti, in the thirteenth century, 
and were taken by Brancellone, the Bolognese gov- 
ernor of Rome, who hanged the marauders from the 
walls." 

Adjoining this " woman's grave " are the ruins of a 
fortress, which in the Middle Ages was a stronghold in 
succession of the Savelli and Gaetani families. Their 
armorial bearings are still to be seen upon the walls, 
and the round windows of the Chapel standing above 
the ruins give them a most picturesque appearance. 
In the valley beneath are the wide-spread remains of 
what is commonly called " the Circus of Caracalla." 
It is of course crumbling into decay, yet every part 
may still easily be traced. The great gate-way, the 
high raised balcony for the Emperor, the carceres or 
cells, in which the chariots stood previous to starting, 
the spina^ or division through the centre, around which 
they swept in the eager contest, — all can be marked. 
The course was about half a mile around and was re- 
peated several times, but it is evident that the victory 
must have depended principally upon the skill of the 
charioteer in turning. The wall is now broken so that 
we easily sprang over it, and all is fast settling down 
to the level of the meadow. The high vines are grow- 
ing over it, the flowers are crushed beneath our feet 
as we walk, and no sign of life meets our view but the 
green lizards which sport among the ruins. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 177 

Our last place of visit was the Fountain of Egeria, 
a name which throughout the world is associated with 
all that is poetical. Twenty-five centuries have gone 
since Numa consecrated this spot, and many genera- 
tions have passed away, yet it still continues to be a 
place of pilgrimage. Our guide led us by the re- 
mains of the old Temple of Bacchus, and around the 
base of the hill, till suddenly the grotto opened before 
us. It is under an antique arch on which the hill 
seems to rest, and at its extremity the little spring 
gushes out, and flows over its pebbly channel as clear 
as crystal, until it is lost in the green meadow which 
stretches away in front. Around the grotto are niches 
which once evidently contained statues, but they have 
long since gone. One only — a recumbent figure, 
sadly mutilated — remains above the spot fi'om which 
the stream trickles out. Juvenal objected in his day 
to the marble ornaments and the art which had spoiled 
the grotto, declaring that the goddess would be much 
more honored if the fountain was inclosed* only with 
its border of living green — 

" Viridi si margine clauderet undas 
Herba." 

But time has at length wrought the change which he 
desired. The stones of the old chamber are clothed 
with moss and evergreens ; the Adiantum Capillus 
waves over the fountain ; while from the roof hang 
down long wreaths of creeping plants, till they obscure 
the entrance, and diffuse a twilight gloom within. And 
when, standing before this little shrine, we look around, 
we see on the one side the thick grove, dark with 
shade, in which Numa is said to have met the goddess, 
and on the other the sweeping arches of the Claudian 

12 



178 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

aqueduct, with the purple hills for their background, 
extending far along the scene. They stretch over the 
wide Campagna, till they reach the spot where once 
stood the vanished palaces of Maecenas and Domitian, 
and we lose sight of them among the distant mountains 
of Albano. Altogether, this is as poetical a spot as the 
earth can furnish, nor could one be found more lovely 
even among the Grecian solitudes which Theocritus so 
beautifully describes. The Dryad and Nymph have 
indeed gone forever, yet, fable or not, we cannot help 
feeling, as we think of the legend, — 

" Whatsoe'er thy birth, 
Thou wert a beautiful thought, and softly bodied forth.'* 





CHAPTER XV. 

THE CARDINALS. INTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL 

MEZZOFANTI. 

ijHILE the visitor is wandering among the 
ruins of Rome, he will sometimes be roused 
from his reveries by the approach of a splen- 
did carriage, flaming with scarlet and gold, 
and three footmen in gorgeous liveries clustering on 
behind, all contrasting strangely with the time-worn 
relics of former ages, and the filth and wretchedness 
of the modern city. That is the equipage of a Cardi- 
nal. Within sits an old man, dressed also in scarlet. 
That is his Eminence. 

For centuries the College of the Cardinals has been, 
in many respects, the most powerful legislative body in 
Europe, and the highest object of ecclesiastical ambi- 
tion. The sons of the first monarchs considered the 
dignity a prize worthy of their aim, and the Pope could 
often win the sovereign himself to his views by the 
bribe of a Cardinal's hat for one of his family. Regi- 
nald Pole, the last of the powerful race of the Planta- 
genets, and one of the gentlest and holiest of men, was 
a Cardinal, and since his death, no ecclesiastic of that 
rank has ever resided at the Court of England. He 
was ill of the same fever as his . royal cousin. Queen 
Mary, and in their last hours constant messages were 
passing between them. When she expired, foreseeing 



180 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

the ruin of his faith, he expressed his satisfaction at 
the prospect of speedy dissolution, which actually took 
place in a few hours. He died, it has been beautifully 
said, ''as if by a mysterious instinct, in the very last 
night whose moon shone upon the rich tillage-lands 
and dusky woodland chases of Catholic England, still, 
for one night still, a portion of the Roman Obedience." ^ 
The last of the exiled Stuarts also died at Rome in the 
same office, under the title of Cardinal York. 

The Cardinals are seventy in number, this being the 
limit fixed by Sextus V. in allusion to the " seventy dis- 
ciples of our Lord." The College, however, is seldom 
full, as some appointments are kept in reserve to meet 
emergencies. They are the Princes of the Church, 
and are divided into three ranks : 1. Six Cardinal 
Bishops ; 2. Fifty Cardinal Priests ; 3. Fourteen Car- 
dinal Deacons. The dignity has, however, now been 
thrown open to laymen, and the Governor of Rome, 
who is recognized so often in the streets by his violet 
stockings and short black silk cloak, usually receives a 
Cardinal's hat at the expiration of his term of office. 
They meet occasionally as the Consistoiy, sitting in the 
full dignity of the purple, with the Pontiff presiding in 
person. This, however, is a mere matter of form to 
receive foreign ambassadors, or to add to the splendor 
of the Court. Their chief prerogative is when they 
meet in Conclave to elect a Pope. This is a power 
which they gained in the eleventh century, under 
Nicholas II., when a Council conferred on them the 
exclusive right of voting at Papal elections, thus set- 
ting aside the ancient privilege of the Roman clergy 
and people to nominate their Bishop. Hildebrand, 

1 Rev F. W. Faber. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 181 

afterwards Gregory VII., was then Cardinal Archdea- 
con of Rome, the great minister of the Pope's reign, 
and director of all his measures, and this was one of the 
steps which he had proposed to increase the power of 
the Papacy. The voice was indeed the voice of Nicho- 
las, but the hand was the hand of Hildebrand. For 
nine days after the Pontiff's death the Cardinal Cham- 
berlain exercises supreme authority, and even has the 
right to coin money in his own name, and impressed 
with his own arms. From the shortness of time these 
pieces are necessarily scarce. One of them, however, 
issued on the death of Pius VII., came into my hands, 
while in Rome. It bears the arms, surmounted by a 
Cardinal's hat, and around them the inscription, — 
" SEDE VACANTE MDCCCXXiii." On the ninth day the 
funeral of the deceased Pope takes place, and on the 
ensuing day the Cardinals meet in secret Conclave to 
elect his successor. There they remain immured in 
one of the great halls of the Vatican till they can agree 
in the choice ; the Senator of Rome, the Patriarchs 
and Bishops who are in the city, guarding the different 
entrances to the Conclave, to prevent all influence and 
intrigue. The qualifications of a candidate are, that he 
shall be fifty-five years of age, a Cardinal, and an Ital- 
ian by birth. It requires a vote of two thirds, and then 
France, Austria, and Spain have each the power of 
putting a veto on one candidate. As might be ex- 
pected, all the power of the government is in the hands 
of the Cardinals, and they divide most of its offices 
among themselves. Each one has also a salary, in 
addition to the emolument derived from his post. 

At present, the Sacred College consists of fifty-five 
members — two named by Pius VII., seven by Leo 



182 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

XII., forty-six by Gregory XVI. The Dean of the 
College is Cardinal Padini, eighty-seven years of age. 
Scwartzenburg is the youngest of the Cardinals, being 
scarcely thirty-six. Sixty-two Cardinals have died 
since the accession of Gregory XVI. 

The person I most wished to see in Rome — I may 
almost say in Europe — was Cardinal Mezzofanti, for 
his name is known through the world as one of the 
literary prodigies of the age. The son of an humble 
tradesman, he commenced his early career as a libra- 
rian. His birthplace, as he mentioned to me himself, 
was Bologna. When an obscure priest in the north of 
Italy, he was called upon to confess some criminals who 
were to suffer death the next day. They proved to be 
foreigners condemned for ph^acy, and he found himself 
utterly unable to hold any intercourse with them. Over- 
whelmed with grief at this unlooked for impediment, 
he retired to his home, spent the night in studying 
their language, and the next morning confessed them 
" in their own tongue wherein they were born." Such 
at least is the common story told here, and his friends 
ascribe his success to miraculous assistance, which was 
afforded him as a reward for his zeal in the discharge 
of his holy office. 

From that time his talent was rapidly developed. 
His knowledge of languages seems to be almost intui- 
tive, for he acquires them without the least apparent 
difficulty. At the age of thirty-six, he is said to have 
read twenty, and to have conversed fluently in eighteen 
languages. At the present time he speaks forty-two, 
or, as he sometimes sportively says, " forty-two, and Bo- 
lognese" — considering his native language so curious 
a dialect of the Italian, that he might count it as one. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 183 

He at one time filled the chair of Professor of Greek 
and Oriental Literature in the University of his native 
city, and his fame even then was widely spread througli 
Europe. When the revolt broke out in 1831, and Bo- 
logna for a time threw off the Papal rule, Mezzofanti 
exerted himself so earnestly in behalf of the Pope, that 
he was soon afterwards called to Rome, and rewarded 
with an appointment under Mai*. When that distin- 
guished scholar was made a Cardmal, Mezzofanti was 
raised to the same dignity. Perhaps the most lively 
account of him is that given by Lord Byron, in his 
" Detached Thoughts." " I do not recollect," says he, 
" a single foreign literary character that I wished to see 
twice, except, perhaps, Mezzofanti, who was a prodigy 
of language, a Briareus of the parts of speech, a walk- 
ing library, who ought to have lived at the time of the 
Tower of Babel, as universal interpreter ; a real mir- 
acle, and without pretension, too. I tried him in all the 
languages, of which I knew only an oath or adjuration 
of the gods against postilions, savages, pirates, boatmen, 
sailors, pilots, gondoliers, muleteers, camel- drivers, vet- 
turini, postmasters, horses, and houses, and everything 
in post ! and he puzzled me in my own idiom." 

And yet, with all these high qualifications, there is 
a modesty about Cardinal Mezzofanti, which shrinks 
from anything like praise. When complimented on the 
subject of his acquirements, he sometimes answers, " Do 
not mention it : I am only a dictionary badly bound." 
A Russian princess, a short time ago, having occasion 
to send him a note, he replied at once in her own lan- 
guage, and in terms so perfectly correct and idiomatic, 
that she could not help responding, complimenting him 
on the manner in which he wrote Russian. He imme- 



184 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

diately answered it, stating " that he was sorry he could 
not return the compHment as to the manner in which 
she wrote Russian." 

I had a letter of introduction to him, and the very 
last morning I was in Rome, feeling that I should not 
be satisfied to depart without seeing him, I determined 
to present it. Upon calling at his palace, I found sev- 
• eral servants in the anteroom, to one of whom I gave 
:my letter and card. He entered with them, and in a 
/moment the Cardinal's secretary came out to conduct 
,me to him. After passing through a long suite of 
rooms, I was ushered into one where I found his Emi- 
,nence,who, advancing cordially, invited me to walk into 
his library. He is a small, lively looking man, appar- 
.ently over seventy. He speaks English with a slight 
foreign accent, yet remarkably correct. Indeed, I 
; never before met with a foreigner who could talk for 
ten minutes without using some word with a shade of 
meaning not exactly right ; yet in the long conversation 
I had with the Cardinal, I detected nothing like this. 
He did not use a single expression or word in any way 
which was not strictly and idiomatically correct.^ He 
converses too without the slightest hesitation, never be- 
ing at the least loss for the proper phrase. 

In talking about him some time before to an ecclesi- 
astic, I quoted Lady Blessington's remark, ." that she 
did not believe he had made much progress in the liter- 

1 An American gentleman who has known him for many years, told me 
he called on him when he was Censor of the Press at Bologna, in com- 
pany with an English naval captain, some of whose books, being on the 
prohibited list, had been seized at the Custom-house. The captain was in 
a towering rage, and Mezzofanti, in the course of his explanations, made 
use of the expression, — "I enter into your feelings." Nine foreigners out 
of ten, in attempting to convey this idea, would have been just as likely 
to say, — " I walk into your feelings." 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 185 

ature of those forty-two languages, but was rather like 
a man who spent his time in manufacturing keys to pal- 
aces, which he had not time to enter," — and I inquired 
whether this was true. *' Try him," said he, laughing ; 
and having now the opportunity, I endeavored to do so. 
I led him, therefore, to talk of Lord Byron and his 
works, and then of English literature generally. He 
gave me, in the course of his conversation, quite a dis- 
cussion on the question. Which was the golden period 
of the English language ? and of course fixed on the 
days of Addison. He drew a comparison between the 
characteristics of the French, Italian, and Spanish lan- 
guages, spoke of Lockhart's translations from the Span- 
ish, and incidentally referred to various other English 
writers. He then went on to speak of American liter- 
ature, and paid high compliments to the pure style of 
some of our best writers. He expressed the opinion 
that with many it had been evidently formed by a care- 
ful study of the old authors — those "wells of English 
undefiled " — and that in the last fifty years we had im- 
ported fewer foreign words than had been done in Eng- 
land. He spoke very warmly of the works of Mr. Feni- 
more Cooper, whose name, by the way, is better known 
on the Continent than that of any other American writer. 
In referring to our Indian languages, here marked 
that the only one with which he was well acquainted 
was the Algonquin, although he knew something of the 
Chippewa and the Delaware, and asked whether I un- 
derstood Algonquin ? I instantly disowned any knowl- 
edge of the literature of that respectable tribe of sav- 
ages, for I was afraid the next thing would be a propo- 
sal that we should continue the conversation in their 
mellifluous tongue. He learned it from an Algonquin 



186 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

missionary, who returned to Rome, and lived just long 
enough to enable the Cardinal to begin the study. He 
had read the works of Mr. Duponceau of Philadelphia 
on the subject of Indian languages, and spoke very 
highly of them. 

And yet, all this conversation by no means satisfied 
me as to the depth of the Cardinal's literary acquire- 
ments. There was nothing said which gave evi- 
dence of more than a superficial acquaintance with 
English literature — the kind of knowledge which passes 
current in society, and which is necessarily picked up 
by one who meets so often with cultivated people of 
that country. His acquirements in words are certainly 
wonderful, but I could not help asking myself their 
use. I have never yet heard of their being of any 
practical benefit to the world, daring the long life of 
their possessor. He has never displayed anything phil- 
osophical in his character of mind, none of that power 
of combination which enables Schlegel to excel in all 
questions of philology, and gives him a talent for dis- 
criminating and a power of handling the resources of 
a language, which have never been surpassed. With 
Mezzofanti, on the contrary, everything seems to be in 
detail, and therefore he turns it to no valuable purpose. 

After having made a visit which far exceeded what 
the bounds of etiquette would allow, I ft^t obliged to 
rise, with the apology, '' that I had already intruded 
too long upon the time of his Eminence ; " but he as- 
sured me, '' This was not the case — and that he only 
regretted, as I was about to leave Rome immediately, 
our first interview was necessarily our last." He in- 
quired the ages of my children, and said, " In five or six 
years they will be old enough to visit Italy, and then 



THJS CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 187 

I trust you will return to Rome, but " — and his voice 
changed — "you will not find me here : I am too old 
to hope for it." When I left the library, he insisted on 
accompanying me through the long suite of rooms to 
the last, in which was his secretary — and gave me his 
parting blessing, with the wish, " that I might have a 
pleasant journey to Naples." When half-way across 
the apartment, I heard his voice, and turning round, 
saw him still standing in the threshold, stretching out 
his hands to me, and adding to his last sentence — " and 
a pleasant voyage home afterwards." 

In the narrow compass of this chapter, I can give 
but a few of the points on which he touched in our 
long conversation — matters of faith relating to his 
Church — information about the Propaganda, Cardinals 
Weld and Acton, and Bishop Wiseman — inquiries 
about the attention to Greek and Latin in our colleges 
— and questions about the progress of his Church in 
America. Still less can I give any idea on paper, of 
the simplicity and kindness of manner which so much 
charmed me, in one whose reputation is unequaled in 
the world, and who seems so little affected by the 
princely dignity of Cardinal with which he has been 
invested. We parted, never probably to see each 
other again in this world, yet long shall I remember 
the old Cardinal's friendly smile ; and I trust we may 
meet again in that better land where all differences are 
forgotten, and our Father welcomes as His children all 
those who loved Him in sincerity and truth, while toil- 
ing onward through the shadows of this lower life. 




CHAPTER XYI. 

THE PROTESTANT BURIAL-GROUND. 

HERE are few spots in Rome which the 
stranger will naturally visit with so much 
interest as the Protestant Burial-ground. 
At a distance from his own home, he knows 
not but that the hand of death may here arrest him, 
and should this be the case, within these walls he must 
find his resting-place. But wherever he might wander 
through the w^ide world, he could not find a more 
lovely spot in which to lie down for his long, last sleep. 
We rode out to it on one of those bright and balmy 
days, which in an Italian atmosphere remind us of the 
first warm days of our own spring. Just by the Porta 
San Paolo rises a lofty pyramid, one hundred and 
twenty feet in height, built of slabs of white Carrara 
marble, but now perfectly black with age. It is the 
noble sepulchre of Caius Cestius, erected in accordance 
with the directions of his will in the age of Augustus. 
It is of solid masonry, except the little chamber within, 
which once contained his sarcophagus. There was 
nothing about it which the hand of violence could 
rifle ; nothing to tempt cupidity ; no statues or carv- 
ings which could be removed to the museums ; and 
therefore it has been permitted to remain uninjured. 
Its very form — adopted by the ancients in imitation 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 189 

of the flames that rose from the ftmeral pyres — was 
well calculated to resist the influence of the weather. 
In the days of Aurelian it was built into the city walls, 
to prevent its being used as a fortress by any attacking 
enemy, and this aided in securing its preservation. 
Except, therefore, in the change of color, and in the 
ivy which has trailed around it, and forced its roots 
into the crevices of the stones, it is but little altered 
from what it appeared eighteen centuries ago. Beneath 
it is the burial-ground, on the slope of the hill looking 
towards " the Eternal City," and in the direction of the 
East, so that the sun's first rays rest upon it, and there 
they spread their warmth, till the dreariness of winter 
is unknown on this hallowed spot. There are a hun- 
dred graves scattered among the trees, and the huge 
pyramid towers over them, as if in mockery of the 
humble monuments on which it looks down. 

In the very atmosphere of Rome there is something 
which induces pensiveness. It is a characteristic, in- 
deed, of these southern climes. The calmness of the 
air is unbroken by the lightest zephyr ; the blades of 
grass are njotionless ; the leaves rustle not, and there 
seems to be a deep sleep resting on everything. You 
are insensibly led to musing, and we felt this influence 
when we stood in silence among these graves. At a 
distance we saw those grand and solemn ruins which 
centuries had bequeathed to us, while around were the 
monuments of those who were all gathered from other 
lands, not one of whom but was mingling his dust with 
the soil of a country which was not his. We read 
the inscriptions, and they appealed to us in our lan- 
guage, through its medium claiming with us a nearer 
brotherhood than with the strangers who dwelt around. 



190 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

And even the tomb of Cestius, that old majestic pile, 
has something also in common with the sleepers there. 
" It is itself," says Rogers, " a stranger. It has stood 
there till the language spoken about it has changed ; 
and the shepherd bom at its foot can read its inscrip- 
tion no longer." 

There are two inclosures for this cemetery. We 
entered the first, and were struck at once with its air 
of romantic beauty. It is formed in terraces which 
mount up, one above the other, to the tomb of the old 
Roman, and the massive walls and battlements of the 
ancient city. The walks were lined with flowers, which 
in this "divinest climate" — as Shelley called it — 
spring up of themselves, and odoriferous shrubs which 
fill the air with their rich perfume. It seems as if the 
grave was robbed of half its gloominess, when we know 
that the balmy airs of spring will be thus ever breathed 
about us, and its rich drapery cover our sepulchres. 
Very many of these tombs are those of Germans, and 
among them one particularly beautiful, of an artist, 
having carved upon it, in bas-reliefs his brush and 
palette wreathed with poppies. We were surprised 
to see how few of the English were buried here, 
when so many come abroad for health, and often end 
their days in this city. Most of those who are in- 
terred in this spot for a time, are finally removed to 
their own country, for there is no nation among whom 
there still lingers so much of that old desire to mingle 
their dust with that of the friends they have known and 
loved, and which made the ancient patriarch bequeath 
to his son the direction, — "I will lie with my fathers ; 
bury me in their burying-place." Among all the forms, 
indeed, of oriental benediction, there is none more ex- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 191 

pressive than the wish, — " May you die among your 
kindred ! " 

On the highest terrace we found the grave of an 
American, Edward Abeel, of New York. Half-way 
up the gentle declivity are the monuments of several 
more of our countrymen : Mr. John Hone, and William 
Henry Elliot, both of New York, and young Deveaux, 
of Charleston, South Carolina. On the tomb of the 
latter, who was one of the most promising artists we 
had in Italy, was a striking bas-relief portrait, executed 
by his friend and countryman. Brown, in whose studio 
I had also seen a most admirable bust. The fate of 
this young man was a melancholy one, sacrificed as he 
was to the jealous police regulations of the country. 
Travelling in Upper Italy, he reached Bologna, where 
some late disturbances had made the authorities pecul- 
iarly vigilant. There being some trifling informahty 
about his passport, it was thrown back to him, and he 
was ordered at once to quit the city. The day was 
closing, but he was obliged to hire the first vehicle he 
could procure, and leaving his baggage behind him, 
ride all night. He skirted the Apennines, and avoid- 
ing the larger towns, managed to pass through the 
country, and at length in some way get into Rome. 
The first night, however, a storm came on, — the 
wagon was an open one, — and being without any 
change of clothes, he was obliged to remain in that 
state for several days. The consequence was, a cold, 
which fastened on his lungs, and, after lingering some 
months, he died at Rome in April last. During his 
illness every possible attempt was made to attach him 
to the Church of Rome. The Rev. Pierce Conelley, 
once a clergyman of the Episcopal Church in the United 



192 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

States, but who some years ago abjured the true Catho- 
lic faith, was unceasing in his attentions. An Enghsh 
lady also, another proselyte, was exceedingly busy in 
her efforts. Among other schemes which she proposed 
in her mistaken benevolence was, that II Santissimo 
Bambino — the little image in the Church of Ara Coeli, 
which we have described in a former chapter — should 
be brought to his sick room, and laid upon the bed. 
She certified that, in the case of a friend in the last 
stage of consumption, this process had produced an en- 
tire restoration to health. But poor Deveaux had not 
faith enough. He could not forget the truer teachings 
of his youth, and the lessons he had learned in his dis- 
tant home. His nurse put a consecrated medal under 
his pillow, but he had so little trust in the promised 
cure it was to produce, that he presented it to a friend 
who happened to visit him. 

There were better instructions, however, at hand, 
and he was not destined to die without having his last 
hours cheered by the pure truths of the Gospel. Provi- 
dentially, he had become acquainted with a clergyman 
of our Church from his own land,^ who became deeply 
interested in his situation, visited him often, and before 
his death administered to him the Holy Communion. 

The most beautiful monument in the cemetery is 
that erected to the memory of Miss Bathurst, whose 
melancholy end produced so strong a sensation some 
years ago. Her father, a short time before, while en- 
gaged in some diplomatic mission in Austria, had sud- 
denly disappeared, and his fate was never known. The 
daughter, a beautiful and accomplished girl, was riding 

1 Rev. Henry L. Storrs, Rector of St. John's Church, Yonkers, Westches- 
ter County, New York. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 193 

on the banks of the Tiber with her uncle, Lord Aylmer, 
and the Duke de Lavel Montmorenci, when attempting 
to turn her horse, he backed into the river, and she was 
swept away by the current. The groom, who alone 
could swim, had just been sent back on some errand, 
and her friends were forced to see her sink w^ithout the 
power of rescuing her. Several months elapsed before 
her bodj^ could be recovered, and laid to its rest in this 
sweet spot. On her tomb is sculptured a beautiful rep- 
resentation (executed by Westmacott) of an angel re- 
ceiving her from the waves. 

As we passed along, we had looked in vain for the 
grave of Shelley, and were at last obliged to ask the 
custode. He led us to the very top of the terrace, and 
there, close under the old wall, is a flat slab, which 
marks the resting-place of this gifted yet unfortunate 
poet. It bears the inscription, — " Percy Bysshe Shel- 
ley, Cor Cordium, Natus iv. Aug. mdccxcii., obiit viii. 

Jul. MDCCCXXII. 

«' Nothing of him that doth fade 
But doth suffer a sea change 
Into something rich and strange." 

His tombstone lies low upon the ground ; the wild- 
flowers cluster around, and the tall grass waves above 
it, so that we had to put them one side to read the epi- 
taph. We stood by it for a few moments, and thought 
of his strange eventful history, his brilliant talents, his 
high-souled, lofty honor, all ruined and rendered use- 
less by that fearful perversion of principle, which left 
him without chart or compass to guide him on life's 
stormv sea. Then came back to remembrance — 
though years have passed since we read it — the 
strange account which Trelawney has given of the 

13 



194 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

burning of poor Shelley's remains in the Gulf of 
Spezzia, when he and Lord Byron reared the funeral 
pile, which, as far as circumstances would allow, was 
conformed to the customs of antiquity. Frankincense 
and wine were poured upon the wood, and for leagues 
around the extraordinary beauty of the flame was no- 
ticed, as it shot high into the air, illuminating the night. 
And when it had gone down, the friends who watched 
found that all had been reduced to ashes but the heart 
alone, on which the fire seemed to have no power. We 
looked around, and at a distance towered high the mas- 
sive ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, among which he 
was accustomed to wander when writing his " Prome- 
theus Unbound," a work so lofty in its tone, so pene- 
trated with the spirit of the old Grecian tragedies, that, 
widely different as we know it to be in plot, it still 
seems almost to compensate us for the lost drama of 
^schylus, the name of which it has borrowed. 

Are there such things as presentiments, when the 
spirit reaches forward into the shadowy future, and the 
affections in anticipation gather around scenes in which 
one day they are to have a deeper interest? It seems 
to have been the case with Shelley, as he loved to 
linger about this spot, and so often recorded his ad- 
miration of w^hat was to be his final resting-place. 
When he first visited Rome, he spoke of it as '' the 
most beautiful and solemn cemetery he ever beheld ; " 
and adds, '' To see the sun shinino; on its brio;ht orrass, 
fresh, when we first saw it, with the autumnal dews, 
and hear the whispering of the w^inds among the leaves 
of the trees which have overp-rown the tomb of Ces- 
tius, and the soil which is stirring in the sun- warm 
earth, and to mark the tombs, mostly of women and 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 195 

young people who were buried there, one might, if one 
were to die, desire the sleep they seem to sleep." 
About a year before his own death, the place had ac- 
quired an additional interest in his eyes, for there his 
friend Keats rested, " after life's fitful fever." In his 
lament over him, Shelley says, — 

" Go thou to Rome, — at once the Paradise, 

The grave, the city, and the wilderness; 

And where its wrecks like shatter'd mountains rise, 

And flowering weeds, and fragrant copses, dress 

The bones of Desolation's nakedness, 

Pass, till the Spirit of the spot shall lead 

Thy footsteps to a slope of green access. 

Where, like an infant's smile over the dead, 
A light of laughing flowers along the grass is spread. 

*' And gray walls moulder round, on which dull Time 

Feeds, like slow fire upon a hoary brand; 

And one keen pyramid with wedge sublime, 

Pavilioning the dust of him who plann'd 

This refuge for his memory, doth stand 

Like flame transform'd to marble; and beneath, 

A field is spread, on which a newer band 

Have pitch'd in Heaven's smile their camp of death, 
Welcoming him we lose with scarce extinguish'd breath. 

" Here pause : these graves are all too young as yet 
To have outgi'own the sorrows which consign'd 
Its charge to each." 

And then, as if the shadows of the grave he was ap- 
proaching already rested on his spirit, he adds, — 

" From the world's bitter wind 
Seek shelter in the shadow of the tomb. 
What Adonais is, why fear we to become ? 

.... Die, 
If thou wouldst be with that which thou dost seek ! 
*Follow where all is fled — Rome's azure sky. 
Flowers, ruins, statues, music, words are weak 
The glory they transfuse with fitting truth to speak. 

" Why linger, why turn back, why shrink, my heart? 
Thy hopes are gone before : from all things here 



196 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

They have departed ; ihou shouldst now depart ! 
A light is pass'd from the revolving year, 
And man, and woman; and what still is dear 
Attracts to crush, repels to make thee wither. 
The soft sky smiles — the low wind whispers near; 
'Tis Adonais calls! oh, hasten hither, 
No more let Life divide what Death can join together." 

Near this declivity is another inclosure, not as beau- 
tifully situated as the first, but only a few yards distant. 
The grave of Keats is near the entrance. His monu- 
ment is of white marble, bearing a lyre in hasso relievo^ 
and under it this inscription, — 

This grave 

contains all that was mortal 

of a 

YOUNG ENGLISH POET, 

who, 

on his death-bed 

in the bitterness of his heart 

at the malicious power of his enemies, 

desired 

these words to be engraven on his tombstone — 

HERE LIES ONE 
WHOSE NAME WAS WRIT IN WATER. 

Feb. 24th, 1821. 

Poor Keats ! his history is the most melancholy one 
written in the annals of literature. The early prom- 
ise was most brilliant ; but he was poor and friendless, 
and as his opinions differed from those of the " Quar- 
terly," on the publication of his " Endymion," the edi- 
tor, Gifford, attacked him with all the savage bitterness 
in his power, pouring out his malice on the unoffending 
victim, because he knew the object of his cruelty could 
not retaliate. Having naturally a feeble constitution, 
and a mind keenly sensitive, the blow seemed to crush 
him, and he told a friend, with tears, that " his heart 
was breaking." He was persuaded to try the mild air 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 197 

of Italy, but he went there only to die. Some time be- 
fore that event took place, he perceived its approach, 
and remarked that he " felt the flowers growing over 
him." We feel, when we think of his story, that Shel- 
ley's address to Gifford, in the preface to ^' Adonais," 
is not one whit too severe, — '' Miserable man ! you, 
one of the meanest, have wantonly defaced one of the 
noblest specimens of the workmanship of God. Nor 
shall it be your excuse, that, murderer as you are, you 
have spoken daggers, but used none." 

But Keats will never be forgotten while the English 
language exists. He was, indeed, like Koerner, of Ger- 
many, cut off too early to show any maturity of power ; 
but '^ Endymion," and '' Lamia," and '' Isabella," are 
rich in gems of thought, and display on every page the 
wealth of genius. Shelley's splendid dirge would 
alone be sufficient to preserve his memory, and the 
estimate he formed of his brother poet may be gathered 
from those noble stanzas, in which, in imitation of a 
sublime scene in the prophet Isaiah, he represents the 
gifted of other days rising to greet the spirit of the 
youthful bard, — 

" The inheritors of unfulfiird renown 

Rose from their thrones built beyond mortal thought, 

Far in the Unapparent. Chatterton 

Rose pale, his solemn agony had not 

Yet faded from him; Sydney, as he fought 

And as he fell, and as he lived and loved. 

Sublimely mild, a spirit without spot, 

Arose; and Lucan, by his death approved; 
Oblivion, as they rose, shrank like a thing reproved. 

" And many more, whose names on earth are dark, 
But whose transmitted effluence cannot die 
So long as fire outlives the parent spark. 
Rose, robed in dazzling immortality. 
* Thou art become as one of us,' they cry. 



198 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

' It was for thee yon kingless sphere has long 
Swung blind in unascended majesty, 
Silent alone amid a heaven of song: 
Assume thy winged throne, thou Vesper of our throng! ' " 

Near the grave of Keats is that of Dr. Bell, whose 
" Observations on the Fine Arts in Italy " have long 
been a text-book for all who visit that country ; and 
also the monument of the Rev. Augustus Wm. Hare, 
of Oxford, whose volume of sermons, published since 
his death, has rendered his name well known to 
Churchmen in America as well as in England. He 
seems to have ended his life in the place where it was 
begun, having been born — the inscription tells us — 
in Rome in 1792, and having died there in 1834. 
There is but one American buried here — Mr. Daniel 
Remsen, of New York. 

We lingered in this lovely place until the increasing 
dampness, showing that the dews of evening were fall- 
ing, warned us to return home. The sun had begun 
to sink in the west, and the massive tomb of Cestius 
threw its broad shadow over the burying-ground, as 
we turned away from it. How many hearts in distant 
lands are sorrowing for those who are so quietly sleep- 
ing here ! Beautiful spot ! which never knows the chill 
of winter, and where Nature herself is ever wreathing 
with living flowers the graves of those whose homes 
and friends are far away, well may the heart yearn to- 
wards thee, and the living feel, that thus they should 
like to rest ! 




CHAPTER XVII. 

THE PALACES OF ROME. 

HE palaces of Rome may well be illustrated 
by the same comparison which Faber uses 
with regard to those of Genoa : '' old pages 
of history torn from some illuminated man- 
uscript of the Middle Ages, and whereon the illumina- 
tions are well-nigh faded or effaced, by time and vio- 
lence." Historically many of them are interesting, 
bearing the names of the noblest families of mediaeval 
days, by whose descendants they are still occupied. 
Others remind us only of the nepotism of the Popes, 
whose first care sometimes was to ennoble their neph- 
ews, and then their short reigns were spent in building 
up the power of these newly risen houses, at the ex- 
pense of the Church and country. And when in addi- 
tion to this, we find some of them, like the Farnese, 
erecting their palaces by despoiling the Coliseum and 
other monuments of ancient Rome, we cannot look 
without indignation on the sacrilege of these upstart 
princes. 

The only palaces, if we except the modern ones of 
the Torlonia family, which are kept up with any de- 
gree of splendor, are those of the Doria and Borghese. 
For the general appearance of the rest, one description 
will answer. You find a vast pile of buildings, often 



200 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

running round the four sides of a square, with the quad- 
rangle in the centre surrounded by a marble colonnade. 
Entering the large arched gateway, some old servitors 
are lounging about, bearing in their appearance evi- 
dences of their master's dilapidated fortunes. One of 
them takes you in charge and commences the ordinary 
routine of sight-seeing. You first enter an immense 
hall, often hung romid with the largest and worst pic- 
tures of the palace, and on one side a throne with a 
high velvet canopy, covered with the armorial bearings 
of the family. From this elevated seat, until feudal 
privileges were abolished, the prince was accustomed 
to administer justice. You follow your guide on, up 
marble staircases, and over mosaic floors, till you come 
to long suites of rooms, the walls covered with paint- 
ings while here and there antique statues are dispersed 
about, and richly inlaid cabinets stand against the 
sides. Through these you wander, gazing on the 
works of art, until you have gone round the square, 
and find yourself in the hall from which you set out. 

It would be useless to attempt describing many of 
these collections, for while a catalogue of paintings 
might recall to my mind the beautiful forms on which 
I have gazed hour after hour, it could awaken no cor- 
responding feeling in the mind of the reader. Some 
of them are celebrated for one or two remarkable 
pictures, while the rest of the collection is made up of 
inferior ones and old family portraits. Such is the 
Palazzo Rospigliosi^ where in the cassino of the garden 
is the far-famed " Aurora " by Guido, so many copies 
of which have been brought to our own country. It 
is a large fresco on the ceiling. Around the chariot 
of the Sun are seen female figures advancing most 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 201 

gracefully hand in hand, to typify the Hours. They are 
decked in gay and flowing drapery, — " pictis incinctae 
vestibus Horas," — while before them is Aurora, scatter- 
ing flowers. It is called Guido's most briUiant perfor- 
mance, and certainly nothing could exceed the glory 
he has spread around the chariot of the God of Day, 
combining in one matchless performance all the beau- 
tiful features in which the poets have arrayed the 
Morning. In the Villa Lodovisi^ which is without the 
city w^alls, occupying a part of Sallust's gardens, is the 
rival picture, the '' Aurora " of Guercino. The god- 
dess is in her car drawn by fiery horses, while the 
shades of Night appear to be vanishing at her approach. 
Tithon, whose couch she had just quitted, is seen half- 
awake, w^hile the Morning Star, as a winged Genius 
bearing a torch, is following her course. The Hours, 
unlike those of Guido, are represented as infants, 
fluttering before her and extinguishing the stars — an 
idea perhaps borrowed from Statins, who describes 
Aurora as chasing the stars before her with her 
whip, — 

" Moto leviter fugat astra flagello." 

In the other compartments are Daybreak, represented 
as a youth with a torch in one hand and flowers in the 
other ; Evening, a young female sleeping ; and Night, 
personified as an aged w^oman poring over a book. The 
first rays of light seem just penetrating into her gloomy 
abode, scaring her companions, the owl and the bat, 
who are shrinking fi'om the unwelcome intrusion. 

In the Palazzo Spada^ the great attraction is the 
colossal statue of Pompey, nine feet high. For three 
centuries it has been asserted to be the one '' at whose 
base P:reat Caesar fell," and notwithstanding the dis- 



202 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

cussion of critics, has retained its name and authority. 
It was certainly found buried on the spot where we 
are told Augustus had it placed, before the Theatre of 
Pompey. The statue holds a globe in its hand, an 
emblem of power, which seems hardly in republican 
taste, and rather brings it down to the days of the 
Empire. The answer to this is, that it was only a 
well-merited compliment to him who found Asia Minor 
the boundary, and left it the centre of the Roman 
Empire. Could we believe this view, it would cer- 
tainly be with no ordinary interest that we stand at its 
pedestal. We should call back eighteen centuries as 
we gaze upon the lineaments of him, who was second 
to Rome's great Master, in fortune only, remembering 
that tragedy in the Senate House, when in the retribu- 
tions of Nemesis, that rival was prostrated at the base 
of this stern looking statue, bathing it with his blood. 

Gibbon describes the manner in which this relic of 
antiquity was found in digging the foundations of a 
house. When first discovered, the head was under 
one building and the body under another. The two 
owners therefore quarreled, and were on the point of 
dividing the statue, — thus rivaling the judgment of 
Solomon, — when Julius III. interposed, and gave 
them five hundred crowns which they thankfully re- 
ceived, as being susceptible of a more easy partition. 
This antique figure has since then made one appear- 
ance in public. When the French held Rome, they 
determined to have Voltaire's tragedy of Brutus per- 
formed in the Coliseum, and to give it greater effect 
decided that their Caesar, like the original Dictator, 
should fall at the base of this statue. It was accord- 
ingly transported to the place of exhibition, although 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 203 

in so doing they were obliged temporarily to deprive 
it of the right arm, 

One of the largest collections of paintings is found in 
the Palazzo Borghese. Among them is the " Cumaean 
Sibyl " of Domenichino, so familiar through copies 
dispersed everywhere, though no copy can give the 
beauty of the original. Nameless and by an unknown 
artist, this picture would anywhere arrest attention. 
We look upon it however with a new association of 
interest, since Bulwer has adopted it as the portrait of 
the high-souled Nina di Raselli, and in his own fasci- 
nating language, thus added the description, — '' Why 
this is called the Cumsean Sibyl I know not, save that 
it has something strange and unearthly in the dark 
beauty of the eyes. I beseech thee, mistake not this 
sibyl for another, for Roman galleries abound in sibyls. 
The sibyl I speak of is dark, and the face has an east- 
ern cast : the robe and turban, gorgeous though they 
be, grow dim before the rich but transparent roses of 
the cheek ; the hair would be black, save for that 
golden glow which mellows it to a hue and lustre never 
seen but in the South, and even in the South most 
rare ; the features, not Grecian, are yet faultless ; the 
mouth, the brow, the ripe and exquisite contour, all 
are human and voluptuous ; the expression, the aspect, 
is something more ; the form is perhaps too fiill for the 
ideal of loveliness, for the proportions of sculpture, for 
the delicacy of Athenian models ; but the luxuriant 
fault has a majesty. Gaze long upon that picture : it 
charms, yet commands the eye." 

There is another portrait in this gallery on which 
too we may gaze with interest, for it gives us the linea- 
ments of one who in his day was the troubler of Italy, 



204 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

shrinking from no means to gain his end, using the dag- 
ger and the poison with perfect recklessness to remove 
a rival, and without compunction throwing aside his 
priestly office and Cardinal's rank to become the 
leader of armies, when a temporal principality was 
within his reach. It is the picture of a young man, 
but with no flush of youth upon his countenance. 
The face is pale and sallow, the lips compressed, and 
the look keenly intellectual. You would decide that 
every line and feature revealed the character of an 
accomplished, yet unprincipled intriguer. The judg- 
ment would be right, for that is Raphael's portrait of 
Cagsar Borgia. 

Look at one more picture, which is founded on a 
legend of the Church of Rome. It is '' St. Anthony 
preaching to the Fishes," by Paul Veronese. The ser- 
mon which he delivered on that occasion can be pur- 
chased in any of the bookstores in this city. It com- 
mences with the salutation, " Cari et amati pesci " 
(dearly beloved fish), and at its conclusion, the legend 
tells us, the fish bowed to him, '' Congesti di profonda 
umilta e con reverente sembiante di religione " (with 
profound humility, and a grave and religious counte- 
nance). The artist seems to have endeavored to exhibit 
this happy close of the Saint's lecture, and the upturned 
eyes of the fish are certainly very edifying. After the 
discourse was over, and this flattering testimonial in its 
behalf had been received, the Saint gave them his 
blessing, and the congregation dispersed. 

The Borghese family is one of the most wealthy of 
the Roman nobility, and distinguished also for its public 
liberality. Just beyond the city is the Villa Borghese^ 
occupying a portion of the Pincian Hill, and, with its 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 205 

gardens and pleasure grounds, covering a circuit of 
more than three miles in extent. And yet its walks 
are open to all who choose to enter, prince or peasant ; 
and there they may wander about or ride, with a per- 
fect wilderness of statues around them, while at every 
turn graceful temples arrest the attention, and the eye 
is refreshed by the sight of water, spread out into lakes, 
or flung high into the air by sparkling fountains. Here 
and there are Latin inscriptions declaring the wish of 
the noble owner that all should unite in the enjoyment 
which these splendid gardens offer. One of them 
states, that '' all these things are prepared for strangers 
rather than for the master." 

The last Prince Borghese married Napoleon's beauti- 
ful sister Pauline. Of the reality of her beauty in- 
deed the present generation have a good opportunity 
of judging, for her statue, almost in a state of nudity, 
was executed bv Canova, and is esteemed one of his 
most finished works. She is taken in the character of 
Venus, reclining gracefully on a couch, and holding in 
one hand the apple which Paris had just awarded her 
in the contest of beauty with the other goddesses. 
The present Prince married a lady as widely different 
in character from the Princess Pauline as is possible. 
She was a daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and 
died about two years ago, leaving behind her a character 
for sanctity, which seems to have been gained by a life 
of earnest devotion and ceaseless charity seldom wit- 
nessed in her elevated rank. She would steal away 
from the magnificence of their villa, where everything 
was around her to win the affections to earth, and in 
the dress of one of the Sisterhood of Charity, go 
through the city seeking everywhere distress and mis- 



206 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

ery to which she might minister. I read her funeral 
sermon while in Rome, and if half is true which is there 
related, or which I heard mentioned in conversation as 
illustrating her spirit of self-denial, she deserves to be 
canonized more than nine tenths of those who now 
figure in the Romish calendar. 

Her sister, the Lady Catherine Talbot, likewise mar- 
ried one of tlie first noblemen in Italy — the Prince 
Doria. Their palace, we have already said, is one of 
the most splendid in Rome, and kept in a degree of 
style and elegance befitting such a place. More than 
one thousand pictures are arranged in its long galleries, 
where the magnificence of everything around is in 
admirable harmony. The great charm of this collec- 
tion consists in its Claudes. As we walk on, we are 
arrested every little while by one of those bright glow- 
ing pictures, generally a sunset, whose radiance is 
thrown over the whole landscape, until it forms a scene 
of fairy enchantment on which poets love to muse, 
and which Claude alone could embody and spread upon 
the canvas. 

We never however passed the Palazzo Doria in the 
Corso, without thinking that its owner was out of place. 
The Dorias seem to belong to Genoa, where the name of 
Andrea Doria will always remain the noblest on the 
page of her history. His immense wealth enabled him 
to support a fleet of twenty-two galleys, and with this he 
turned the scale and freed his country from the yoke of 
France. He declined the offer of the ducal coronet for 
life, and, had he wished, there is no doubt but that he 
might have acquired the absolute sovereignty. But a 
few weeks before, we had been through his palace in 
Genoa. On its front is a long Latin inscription, in which 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 207 

the stately old Admiral, '' II Principe," — to use the 
title which Charles V. granted him, — informs us that 
he erected this residence for himself and his suc- 
cessors, " CEdes sibi et successoribus instauravit, 
MDXXViii." Around the palace are extensive gardens 
which descend to the shore of the Mediterranean, and 
thus their walls are washed by the waves of that sea 
on which he won immortal glory. You wander on 
through walks of cypress and orange, while statues 
and fountains and vases placed around, all seem in 
perfect harmony with the beauty of the grounds. The 
palace can lay no claim to the magnificence of that 
in Rome, but its historical associations invest it with 
far greater interest. The absence of the family, how- 
ever, has suffered it to fall somewhat into decay, and 
unless care is taken, a few years more will efface en- 
tirely the splendid frescoes with which Perino deco- 
rated it in the days of the Great Admiral. 

As a whole, however, no palace interested us so 
much as the Colonna, There is something, to be sure, 
in the association of the name, for through all the Mid- 
dle Ages it was the noblest family in Rome. Their 
lineage runs back to some remote source on the banks 
of the Rhine, where the wildest legends mingle with 
the truth. It was even maintained, in support of their 
old Roman origin, that they were descended from 
a cousin of Nero, who escaped from the city, and 
founded Mentz in Germany ; and Gibbon tells us, that 
^' the sovereigns of Germany were not ashamed of a 
real or fabulous affinity with a noble race, which in 
the revolutions of seven hundred years has been often 
illustrated by merit, and always by fortune." They 
are supposed to have descended from the ancient 



208 THE CHRISTMAS HO L YD AYS IN ROME. 

Counts of Tusculum, but the first historical mention of 
them is in the middle of the eleventh century, when 
the Countess Emelia of Palestrina married a baron de- 
scribed as De Columna. Thus Palestrina, which is 
about twelve miles from Colonna, passed into their 
hands, and for centuries after it was their mountain 
fastness, and celebrated in all their struggles with the 
Popes. 

To the student of ecclesiastical history this place is 
particularly associated with the contest of the family 
with Boniface VIII. He was one of the Gaetani 
family, and the two Cardinals Giacamo and Pietro 
Colonna, having vainly opposed his election, retired 
with their kinsman Sciarra to this castle, and there 
openly disclaimed his authority. He at once excom- 
municated them, offered plenary indulgence to all 
who would take up arms against the family, and 
was thus enabled, after a gallant resistance, to take 
their stronghold. Their power broken, the Cardinals 
agreed to come to Anagni, where the Pope was resid- 
ing, and make their submission. Then was witnessed 
one of those acts of treachery, not unusual in the 
Papal history. Boniface was advised to " promise 
much and perform little," and he fully acted up to 
the counsel ; for which Dante in his '' Inferno " has con- 
demned him to immortal infamy. He nominally granted 
them pardon, but at the same time took measures to 
have Palestrina razed to the ground, and the whole 
Colonna family hunted out of Italy. 

But the hour of retribution came. Sciarra Co- 
lonna, after a series of most romantic adventures, re- 
turned to Rome just as the King of France, Philippe 
le Bel, had dispatched William de Nogaret to seize 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 209 

the Pope, and with this party he alhed himself. It 
was in 1303 that Boniface was residing at Anagni, 
some fifty miles from Rome, and believing all his ene- 
mies crushed, he had prepared a Bull, in which he 
maintained " that, as Vicar of Jesus Christ, he had the 
power to govern kings with a rod of iron, and to dash 
them in pieces like a potter's vessel." The eighth of 
September, the anniversary of the Nativity of the 
Virgin, was the time selected for its publication, but 
the very day preceding, his dream of dominion was 
most rudely broken. Shouts were heard along the 
streets of Anagni, — " Long life to the King of France ! 
Death to Boniface ! " and looking from his palace win- 
dow, the Pope beheld a band of three hundred horse- 
men headed by his old enemy, just surrounding the 
Pontifical residence. 

Boniface was now in his eighty-seventh year, but 
age had not broken the courage of one of whom it was 
written, "Regnabit ut Leo," — he shall reign as a 
lion, — and he prepared with firmness to meet his foes. 
He clothed himself in his official robes, placed the 
crown of Constantine on his head, and with the keys 
and cross in his hands, seated himself in the Pontifical 
Chair. Sciarra Colonna rushed first into his presence, 
but struck by the dignified composure of his enemy, he 
went no further than verbal insults. Nogaret followed, 
but feeling less reverence, he dragged the Pope forth, 
and committed him to close imprisonment. Three 
days afterwards the people rose, expelled the intruders, 
and rescued Boniface, but they could not soothe his 
wounded spirit, and he shortly died from the violence 
of his passions and the disgrace which he felt had been 

inflicted on him. 

14 



210 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

His successor, Benedict XI., absolved the Colonnas 
from excommunication, and they shortly after began to 
rebuild Palestrina, which in 1311 was ready to receive 
Henry of Luxembourg, Emperor of Germany, when 
he came to Rome to be crowned. Louis of Bavaria 
resided there at his coronation in 1328; and twice 
Stephen Colonna repulsed Rienzi from its walls, when 
he was vainly attempting to seize it. 

It is this Stephen Colonna who stands preeminent 
among the heroes of the Middle Ages, and whose 
name, in the mind of every Italian scholar, is so inti- 
mately associated with that of Petrarch. It is worth 
while learning Itahan to read the letters which the poet 
addressed to him, styling him " a phoenix sprung from 
the ashes of the ancient Romans." Nor was this praise 
undeserved. In every change of fortune, and even in 
exile, Stephen Colonna sustained his dignity. When 
driven from his country, and an attendant asked him, 
" Where is now your fortress ? " he laid his hand on 
his heart, and answered, " Here." Amidst the feuds 
of Rome, or at the Court of Avignon, he commanded 
no feeling but that of reverence. 

But these historical recollections have led us fi'om 
our subject. At Avignon we had seen the deserted 
Colonna palace standing directly opposite to that of the 
Popes, and which was occupied by some of the family 
during the residence there of the Papal Court — " the 
Babylonish captivity," as Petrarch calls it ; but it 
cannot compare in splendor with this one at Rome. 
The latter was commenced in 1417 by Pope Martin 
V. (Oddone Colonna). Here also afterwards lived 
Cardinal Borromeo and Pope Julius IL ; and in the 
fifteenth century, when Andrew Paleologus, the Em- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 211 

peror of the East, visited Rome, it was here that he 
made his home. The palace seems to preserve its dis- 
tinctive character as the pecuUar residence of the family, 
and in all parts of it we learn something of their past 
history, until the whole building becomes, as it were, 
one record of their deeds. Everywhere we see their 
armorial bearings — the column, surmounted by the 
crown — the latter emblem being added by Louis of 
Bavaria at his coronation, out of gratitude to the fam- 
ily for their assistance ; while on the walls are portraits 
of Cardinals and Popes, and the leaders of armies, — 
men whose names were celebrated in their dav, — all 
claiming descent from the Colonna. 

These are mostly arranged in the great gallery, 
more than two hundred feet in length, the noblest hall 
in Rome, and not surpassed by any in Europe. Its 
ceiling is painted in fresco, with a representation of the 
battle of Lepanto, where the Roman galleys w^ere led 
by a prince of this family. It was on Sunday, the 
seventh of October, a, d. 1571, that the Crescent 
and the Cross were thus arrayed against each other ; 
and it added to the courage of the Christian sol- 
diers to know, that on that day all their brethren 
through Christendom were offering up prayers for 
the success of the arms they wielded. It is an 
additional circumstance of interest, tha the galleys of 
Genoa were led by John Andrew Doria, a descendant 
of the great admiral. After a conflict of four hours 
victory declared for the Cross. Upwards of fifteen 
thousand Turks fell in the battle, sixty-two ships were 
sunk and a hundred and twenty taken, while more 
than twelve thousand Christian slaves found in the Ot- 
toman vessels were set at liberty. The arrival of the 



212 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

news in Rome, we are told, revived the memory of her 
ancient glory, and it was determined to bestow upon 
Prince Colonna the honor of a modern triumph. He 
was received with all possible splendor by the Senator 
and Magistrates of the city, and, like the old Consuls, 
escorted with pomp and acclamations to the Capitol. 
His portrait hangs upon the wall, showing in all his 
bearing, the chivalrous soldier. 

Yet near it is one which interests us more. It is 
the picture of Vittoria Colonna, the sweet poetess, 
whose sonnets will live as long as the language in which 
they are written, and who well deserved the title her 
countrymen bestowed upon her, — '' The most beautiful 
and glorious lady." She was the wife of the Marquis 
of Pescara, and when efforts were made to turn him 
from his fidelity to the Spanish cause, she wrote to him 
these noble admonitions, — .'' Remember your virtue, 
which raises you above fortune and above kings. By 
that alone, and not by the splendor of titles, is glory 
acquired, that glory which it will be your happiness 
and pride to transmit unspotted to your posterity." 
Her husband was killed at the battle of Pavia, and 
thenceforth she retired from the world. Most beautiftil 
in mind and person, she had no lack of suitors, but she 
remained constant to the memory of the lost, and when 
she celebrates his praises, the deep and true tenderness 
of her lines shows the earnestness of her affection. 
But she was also a priestess of religion, and conse- 
crated her lyre to the mysteries and graces of our 
faith, leaning indeed so much to the purer doctrines 
which then began to spread, heralding the Reformation, 
that she often drew upon herself reproach and satire. 
But her purity of song was so well acknowledged, that 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 213 

even in life she gained the title of Divine, which was 
granted to Dante and Ariosto only after death. Her 
fame indeed spread widely, so that Ariosto dedicated 
to her a number of his immortal verses. 

But she has another claim to our interest. It was 
to her that Michael Angelo Buonarotti devoted his 
muse, when turning from Sculpture and Painting he 
sought the inspiration of their sister Poetry. He wor- 
shipped her with that Platonic love which at this period 
had begun to imbue the minds of Italian poets, redeem- 
ing the passion from all that was earthly, showing it 
purified by the loftiest virtue, and raising its object 
almost to the confines of Divinity. His love, therefore, 
was not like that of Dante for his Beatrice, or of Pe- 
trarch for his Laura, for they shared too deeply in the 
feelings of mere moiitals. But while every line of 
Buonarotti glows with tenderness, we perceive that it 
is something sacred, partaking of the love w^hich he 
might have had for an object purely ideal, the sort of 
abstract devotion with which he would have worshipped 
the beautiftil in art. And did she, who had refused 
the hand of princes, return this affection ? There is 
no evidence that she did. She admired him as an al- 
most inspired artist, and often wrote to him with warm 
regard, yet no tinge of earthly passion appears in any 
of the lines of Vittoria Colonna. Her life glided 
quietly away in the convent near Rome in which she 
resided, yet without taking the vows, and there she 
died in old age, a few years before her impassioned 
admirer. 

With all these associations, is it to be wondered that 
we gazed long upon her picture ? How sweet and 
calm appears her countenance seen thus among the 



214 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

warlike princes of her race ; as strange as the contrast 
furnished by the soft and melodious verses she could 
weave, while they were engaged in wild forays and 
deeds of blood ! As we stand before it, we forget the 
last three centuries, and remember only that age so 
glorious for Italy, when at once she exchanged the 
darkness which had shrouded her, for all that was no- 
ble in the arts or elevated in poetry. 

The most beautiful woman we have seen in Italy is 
a princess of the Colonna family. It was in the lofty 
halls of one of these old feudal palaces, when the radi- 
ance of an hundred lamps flashing back from the gilded 
ceilings and marble columns, presented a scene of 
elegance, for the display of which no place is better 
adapted than the palace of a Roman prince. The sa- 
loons were filled with the noblest of these sunny climes, 
whose names recalled associations which stretched back 
to the mediaeval times. Rich music fell on the ear ; 
jewels flashed before the eye ; and the beauty of Eng- 
land was seen by the side of the more impassioned 
loveliness of Southern Europe. Around the Princess 
Doria, a circle of her countrymen had gathered, claim- 
ing her to themselves, as a descendant of the old he- 
roic Talbots. But among all present, "the observed 
of all observers," was this member of the princely 
house of Colonna, of whom we have spoken. As the 
light flashed from the diamond tiara on her head, she 
seemed worthy to be a queen, even in this land where 
beauty is an inheritance and where the classical fea- 
tures of the lowest peasantry are often those from which 
Raphael might have drawn his inspiration. 

But the fortunes of this noble house seem now to be 
waning, for the age of chivalry is gone, and that of 
;.1ilitarianism has taken its place. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 215 

" And noble name, and cultured land, 

Palace and park, and vassal band, 

Are powerless to the notes of band 

Of Rothschild, or the Barings." 

The present prince is seldom in Rome. Having 
married a lady of Naples, he generally resides in that 
city. In the last century the family even sold to the 
Ludovisi the estate of Colonna, thus alienating a place 
from which they derive their name ; and in the seven- 
teenth century they parted with Palestrina, their old 
feudal stronghold. It was purchased by Carlo Bar- 
berini, brother to Urban VIII., for the sum of seven 
hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. And to 
show how much interest is often felt by these Ro- 
man nobles in historical recollections, it is related 
that the last Prince Barberini, whose family had not 
seen Palestrina for three generations, being asked, why 
he did not visit so interesting a spot, a short day's jour- 
ney from his palace in Rome, replied, " Why, my 
father never visited it ; besides, it is too long a journey 
for my own horses, and not worth the expense of post- 

We will refer to but one more of these palaces ; that 
of the Barberini. The family w^as formerly one of the 
most powerful in Rome, being built up by Pope Urban 

1 Lady Morgan, twenty years ago, related a story equally good of the 
Borghese family. Their library had not been opened for many years 
before the revolution. Some time after that event, and the young prince 
had married into the Bonaparte family, a visit to it was proposed as a 
frolic after dinner. After a long search for keys, the party proceeded 
thither with lights, when, on opening the door, the singular spectacle pre- 
sented itself of the whole room in a blaze. This sudden conflagration was 
caused by the cobwebs which covered the walls taking fire the moment the 
candles were brought in. The flame ran rapidly round, and was extin- 
guished as rapidly. Stores of gold, silver, and ivory work of the most 
beautiful description were found in the Guarda-roba of the palace, where 
they had been long forgotten. 



216 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

VIII. (Mateo Barberini), whose reign was noted for 
its nepotism. Their crest — the bee — is seen on 
buildings in every part of the city, and is sculptured 
even in the interior of St. Peter's, and on the canopy 
over the High Altar, which was also erected by the 
same Pope. 

The library is celebrated for its manuscripts, contain- 
ing all the correspondence of Urban VIII. Some of 
them are of great historical value ; such as the official 
reports on the state of the Church of Rome in England 
during the reign of Charles I. They must contain 
much matter for a history of the Stuart family, which 
would throw light upon many hitherto disputed points. 
Mabillon, who in 1686 came into Italy with a com- 
mission from the King of France to collect manuscripts, 
had an opportunity of examining those in the Barberini 
library, and gives a pleasant account of some original 
papers he found there. ^ They contain a negotiation 
between the Spaniards and Urban VIII. It seems 
there was a saint held in great reverence in some parts 
of Spain, of the name of Viar. The more to encour- 
age his worship, they petitioned the Pope to grant 
some special indulgences to his altars. He naturally, 
in reply, inquired into the proofs of his sanctity, when 
they produced a monumental stone 'which had been 
dug up, and on which the whole claim rested, having 
on it the letters, S. VIAR. Unfortunately, however, 
the antiquarians of the day immediately perceived it 
to be a fragment of some old Roman inscription, in 
memory of one who had been '' PrasfectuS. VIARum," 
or " Overseer of the Highways." 

This palace once contained a fine gallery of paint- 

1 Mabil. Iter, Jtal, p 144. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 217 

ings, but as the fortune of the family was reduced, 
many of them were scattered, and now form the prin- 
cipal attraction of other collections in the city. And 
yet there is one remaining in the gallery, which ren- 
ders it in some respects the favorite collection in Rome. 
It is the portrait of Beatrice Cenci. The custode 
carried us through the different rooms, and pointed out 
one picture after another, but we hastily turned from 
them all in our impatience to see the gem of the col- 
lection. At length he drew aside a curtain, and there 
we saw the original with which copies had so long 
made us familiar. They have been multiplied all over 
the world, and the engravings too have been widely 
circulated, but not one that we had ever seen conveyed 
an idea of that touching expression which gives such a 
charm to the portrait by Guido. 

The history of Beatrice Cenci is one of those strange 
tales which seem more like the wildest fiction than 
anything which could have happened in real life. 
Shelley has made it the foundation of his tragedy of 
'' The Cenci," where the darker features are hinted 
at, while in the development of the plot, historical 
truth seems as far as possible to have been observed. 
Her father was of a noble Roman family, and in the 
sixteenth century one of the most powerful barons of 
Italy. He was leagued with all the restless evil spirits 
in the land, and indeed one of those demons in human 
form who seem to leave us in doubt whether or not he 
can be of the same nature with his fellow-men. In 
the tragedy, he thus describes his own fiend-like tastes 
and pursuits in language which history tells us is but 
too strictly true : — 



218 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

" When I was young, I thought of nothing else 
But pleasure; and I fed on honey-sweets; 
Men, by St. Thomas ! cannot live like bees, 
And I grew tired; j^et, till I kill'd a foe, 
And heard his groans, and heard his children's groans. 
Knew I not what delight was else on earth. 
Which now delights me little. I the rather 
Look on such pangs as terror ill conceals : 
The dry fix'd eyeball; the pale quivering lip. 
Which tells me that the spirit weeps within 
Tears bitterer than the bloody sweat of Christ. 
I rarely kill the body, which preserves, 
Like a strong prison, the soul within my power. 
Wherein I feed it with the breath of fear 
For hourly pain." 

Although his wealth was almost countless, yet his 
children were kept in poverty. Two of his sons sent 
into Spain, died in want, and his daughter, with her 
stepmother, were treated with the most shocking bru- 
tality. Yet none dared to interfere, for Count Cenci 
was an enemy who struck without giving any warning, 
and whose blow was never in vain. Shelley repre- 
sents Cardinal Camillo remonstrating with him on 
his daughter's " strange and uncomplaining wrongs," 
when he receives this characteristic answer, — 

" Cardinal, 
One thing I pray you, recollect henceforth. 
And so w^e shall converse with less restraint. 
A man you knew, spoke of my wife and daughter: 
He was accustom'd to frequent my house; 
So the next day his wife and daughter came 
And ask'd if I had seen him; and I smiPd: 
I think they never saw him any more." 

But the secret of his immunity was his enormous 
wealth. Whatever deed of wickedness was detected, 
he could always purchase his pardon from the Pope. 
A grant was made of one of his fiefs to a nephew of 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 219 

the Pontiff, and all was hushed up. Count Cenci had 
therefore reason to say, — 

" No doubt Pope Clement, 
And his most charitable nephews, pray 
That the Apostle Peter and the saints 
Will grant for their sakes that I long enjov 
Strength, wealth, and pride, and lust, and length of days 
Wherein to act the deeds which are the stewards 
Of their revenue." 

At length his iniquity reached its climax, and he at- 
tempted an outrage upon the person of his daughter, 
Beatrice. Shortly afterwards he was found strangled 
in his bed, at the Castle of Petrella, among the Apulian 
Apennines. Whether or not Beatrice was guilty of 
plotting his death cannot be determined, yet it is evi- 
dent she was at this time suffering from an almost total 
alienation of reason. She was arrested, with her step- 
mother and brother, and put to torture, but nothing 
could be extorted from her. Shelley states, that the 
murderers employed by her confessed when put to the 
rack ; but another version of the story is, that seeing 
her younger brother, Bernardo, exposed to torture, she 
assumed the guilt of the deed to herself, for the sake 
of saving him. The true account it is difficult to pro- 
cure, as it exists only in the records of the Court, and 
the government does not permit it to be made public. 

Every effort was made to save Beatrice, but the 
Pope would not commute her sentence of death, for 
the treasury needed replenishing, and he wished to con- 
fiscate the Cenci estates. The night before her exe- 
cution, she made for herself a robe of white sackcloth, 
with a loose, winding head-dress of the same material, 
and it was finished but an hour before she left her 
prison. Guido, says the family tradition, saw her 



220 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

mount the scaffold, and, struck with her exquisite 
beauty, painted her portrait from memory. The pic- 
ture originally belonged to the Colonna family, and 
still has the column and crown painted in one corner. 
With so romantic a history attached to it, no one can 
wonder that this is the favorite picture in Rome. We 
gaze upon it, and Beatrice seems before us, showing a 
face of childUke loveliness, utterly unhke that of one 
who could ever have been an actor in such a terrible 
tragedy. The head is turned on one side, as if she was 
leaving you, yet looking back. From the folds of the 
white drapery, her golden hair escapes and falls about 
her neck. The large, full eyes look mournfully from 
the canvas, and the delicate features are all swollen 
with weeping. The whole expression is one deeply 
pathetic — the countenance of a gentle being who had 
been stricken with despair, yet from whose every linea- 
ment there beams forth an exquisite loveliness. " Bea- 
trice Cenci," says Shelley, '' appears to have been one 
of those rare persons in whom energy and gentleness 
dwell together, without destroying one another : her 
nature was simple and profound. The crimes and 
miseries, in which she was an actor and a sufferer, 
are as the mask, and the mantle, in which circum- 
stances clothed her for her impersonation on the scene 
of the world." 

Since this tragedy, the old palace of the Cenci, in the 
city, has stood desolate and uninhabited, as if stricken 
by a curse. The family, we believe, ended at that 
time ; its sole survivor, the young Bernardo, disap- 
peared, and was generally supposed to have been 
placed in a monastery. We wandered over the courts 
of the palace, and look through its deep, dark dun- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 221 

geons, with the interest with which this strange story 
has invested it. It is now in the most obscure quarter 
of Rome — an immense, gloomy, and deserted pile of 
massive architecture, without doors, or windows, or 
any sign of human habitation, yet showing, by its an- 
tique friezes of fine workmanship, the magnificence 
which it once possessed. There seems to brood over it 
a spirit of desolate and ruined grandeur. Adjoining it 
is the little Chapel of S. Thommaso a' Cenci, erected by 
the notorious Count Francisco Cenci, of whom we have 
been speaking, and endowed to offer up masses for the 
peace of his soul. What a strange contradiction of 
traits ! Yet thus religion is often exhibited in this 
land. Shelley truly says, that in an Italian, '' it is 
interwoven with the whole fabric of life. It is ado- 
ration, faith, submission, penitence, blind admiration ; 
not a rule for moral conduct. It has no necessary 
connection with any one virtue. The most atrocious 
villain may be rigidly devout, and, without any shock 
to established faith, confess himself to be so. Rehgion 
pervades intensely the whole frame of society, and 
is, according to the temper of the mind which it in- 
habits, a passion, a persuasion, an excuse, a refuge : 
never a check." 

To believe in the innocence of Beatrice, is part of the 
creed of an Italian. Her story is one of those romantic 
traditions which sink deeply into the popular mind. 
Every beggar on the steps of the Scala di Spagna is 
perfectly familiar with it. He knows her portrait as 
well as he does the pictures of the Madonna, and no 
possible evidence could turn him from the conviction 
that she was a victim unjustly sacrificed. Every Ro- 



222 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

man acts most religiously on the parting advice she is 
represented as giving to the young Bernardo, — 

" One thing more, my child : 
For thine own sake be constant to the love 
Thou bearest us ; and to the faith that I, 
Though wrapt in a strange cloud of crime and shamCv 
Lived ever holy and unstain'd. And though 
m tongues shall wound me, and our common name 
Be as a mark starap'd on thine innocent brow 
For men to point at as they pass, do thou 
Forbear, and never think a thought unkind 
Of those who perhaps love thee in their graves." 





CHAPTER XVIII. 

EXCURSION TO TIVOLI. 

HE neighborhood of Rome abounds with 
scenes to which the visitor can make de- 
hghtful excursions. We have been to-day 
to TivoH, to which every one goes, and we 
therefore followed the example of the rest of the world. 
The sun was just rising as we passed through the gate 
of San Lorenzo, and near the old Church of the same 
name. It stands close without the walls, and is one of 
the most ancient in the world. We mav still see with- 
m it, the upper row of columns for the female gallery, 
preserved unaltered from an early age. Our road led 
for nearly the whole distance over the desolate Cam- 
pagna, which we traversed by the Via Tiburtina, in 
some parts passing over the ancient pavement, formed 
by large blocks of lava.i Here and there was a tomb, 
or the remains of some shattered monument — the 
only tokens existing of the thousands who once in- 
habited this waste region, now given up to sterility and 
miasma. 

A few miles brought us to a canal which drains the 
sulphureous lake of Salfatara. The water which flows 
through it is of a milky color, and long before we 
reached it, the sulphureous fumes and gas gave notice 

^ It has been discovered by excavating, that this ancient road has been 
paved three times, the pavements being found one above the other. 



224 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

of its vicinity. The lake was once a mile in circuit, 
but has been gradually diminishing until but little of it 
is visible. It is filled with floating islands, composed 
of small masses of reeds and other substances matted 
together, and which are carried to and fro by the wind, 
like those of the Vadimon Lake of which Pliny has 
given such a minute account.^ These bituminous 
masses gradually add to the solid concretions on the 
margin of the lake, and probably in the course of a 
short time the remaining surface will be hid. For a 
considerable space around, the ground sounds hollow 
under foot, showing that we are only treading on the 
crust which covers the lake. 

A short distance further and we crossed the Anio by 
the Ponte Lucana, a bridge well known to visitors in 
Rome by the picture of Poussin in the Doria Palace. 
Near it stands the lofty tomb of Plautius Silvanus, who 
accompanied Claudius on his expedition into Britain. 
Like all these massive monuments, it was during the 
Middle Ages converted into a fortress, and the battle- 
ments by which it was crowned still remain. It is a 
most picturesque ruin, and a favorite subject with the 
landscape painters of all countries. From this spot we 
left the main road, and by a narrow and vile lane 
rode to Hadrian's Villa. It is a strange mass of ruins, 
far more extensive even than the Palace of the Cae- 
sars, and giving proof of that spirit of luxury which 
was the absorbing feeling in the latter days of Rome. 
It was originally constructed on a plan surpassing 
everything else that even Imperial magnificence had 
attempted, and covering a space of from eight to ten 
miles in circuit. Into this one spot the Emperor in- 

1 Ep. vii. 20. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 225 

tended to gather an imitation of all that he had seen 
in his travels, which most interested him. Here were 
a Lyceum, an Academy, a Poecile in imitation of that 
at Athens, a Vale of Tempe, a Serapeon of Canopus 
like the one at Alexandria, a stream called the Euripus, 
a Library, Barracks for the Guards, a Tartarus, Ely- 
sian Fields, and temples dedicated to a perfect Pan- 
theon of gods. He had — 

'* Collected 
All things that strike, ennoble — from the depths 
Of Egypt, from the classic fields of Greece, 
Her groves, her temples — all things that inspire 
Wonder, delight." 

We found the usual cicerone^ and spent some hours 
in wandering about among the massive ruins. To 
attempt to describe them would be useless. They 
are found in every possible form and shape, scattered 
over this vast space. Sometimes lofty arches towered 
over our heads, wreathed with ivy, and crowned by 
shrubs and bushes waving in the breeze, and then we 
came to the ruins of a theatre, where the circular seats 
were still visible, sixteen centuries after the audience 
had been turned to dust. A long range of broken 
arches in a most picturesque form, show where once 
the Praetorian guards were quartered, and the massive 
remains of baths give some idea of the magnificence of 
this portion of the palace. Sometimes our guide led us 
under ground through galleries and crypts, on the ceil- 
ings of which are still seen the remains of fi^esco paint- 
ings ; and then clambering over fallen columns we came 
to the edge of a hill, and in a deserted meadow below 
we saw all that was left of Hadrian's Vale of Tempe. 
What a perfect paradise must it have been in its day, 

15 



226 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

when human ingenuity had here exhausted all its skill ! 
Let the imamnation rebuild once more these fallen 
piles ; rear these crumblmg arches ; transform, as of 
old, into a fairy scene these groves and gardens ; 
and we can scarcely believe that there ever has existed 
such a reality in this every-day world. It would 
rather seem some artist's glorious dream, or what 
the Italians in common expression call, " un pezzo di 
cielo caduto in terra," — a little bit of heaven fallen 
upon the earth. 

But Time here has not been the only spoiler. For 
centuries the degenerate Romans used these ruins as 
they would a quarry, and plundered them for porphyry 
and marble columns to adorn their palaces and 
churches. Their excavations indeed brought many 
gems of art to light, for here were found the Venus 
de Medici, the celebrated Vase which we saw in 
Warwick Castle in England, and many others of 
those beautiful works which now enrich the museums 
of Europe. But the work of desolation is at length 
complete. Lofty trees have spnmg up in every part, 
twining their roots among the massive stones, and thick 
vines have grown over the fluted columns, so that you 
have to tear them aside to see the sculptures on their 
capitals. Not a sound was heard except when the 
bee hummed about us as he flitted among the wild 
flowers to gather his honey. All was as quiet as the 
first Sabbath after the Creation. The traces of man's 
luxury were rapidly disappearing, and Nature was 
again claiming this beautiful spot for her own. 

At this villa Hadrian resided when he was seized 
with his last and fatal illness. Here he had every- 
thing gathered around him to make life happy, and 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 227 

every luxury at hand which the world could furnish. 
The gems of art filled his palaces, and from the por- 
tico in front he had a distant view of Rome with its 
many towers gleaming in the sunlight — the mag- 
nificent Metropolis of the Earth, of which he was the 
absolute master. How hard then must it have been 
for him to see the gates of Eternity opening before 
him, '' not knowing the things that should befall him 
there ! " Yet amid all his pomps and pleasures, he 
seems to have made as great preparations for his 
death as for his life, and the mightiest monument in 
Rome is the one he reared to receive his remains. 
But there, as elsewhere, Time has made sad changes 
and utterly defeated the builder's object. The Im- 
perial tomb of Hadrian was soon perverted to be a 
fortress for the living ; its sculptured ornaments were 
gradually defaced by the hand of violence ; Belisarius 
hurled on the invading Goths the beautiful statues 
which adorned the interior ; and now it stands naked 
and frowning, as the Papal Castle of St. Angelo. 
Even the marble sarcophagus which once held his body 
has been seized by modern spoilers, and now holds the 
ashes of Pope Innocent II. 

A few miles further and we leave the Campagna, 
commencing the ascent of the hills by a road which 
winds through olive groves until it reaches Tivoli. 
Bold rocks jutting out into the road ; the old olive- 
trees, with their gnarled and twisted stems ; simple 
shrines before which the contradina are kneeling in 
their picturesque costumes ; and above, the old and 
hoary ruins of two thousand years — these are the fea- 
tures of the landscape. The peasantry seemed to be 
enjoying themselves — some, basking lazily in the sun- 



228 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

shine, inhaling an atmosphere, which to breathe is lux- 
ury ; and some, as in the days of Virgil, reclining 
sub tegmine fagi^ but we fear that in this accidental 
circumstance alone like the hero of the First Bucolic. 

There are few places about which linger so many 
classical associations as Tivoli. Five centuries before 
the founding of Rome, here stood the ancient Tibur, 
and when the colonists of Romulus had gathered on 
the Seven Hills, they found it a powerful rival not to 
be reduced until after years of warfare. Then it be- 
came a mere suburb of Rome, the delightful retreat 
of its patricians, and the prison of its captives. Hither 
they sent Syphax, King of Numidia, and here he ended 
his days, being thus saved the mortification of gracing 
the triumph of Scipio Africanus. As Livy tells us, — 
'^ Syphax was withdrawn rather from the gaze of the 
multitude, than from the glory of the conqueror, by 
dying a little before the triumph, at Tibur." ^ In the 
Vatican, however, is a monumental inscription found in 
this place, bearing the name of the captive king, which 
expressly states that he was led in the triumph. How 
the fiery African fretted away his life, we know not, 
though Polybius tells us that he died in prison, and 
Claudian that he swallowed poison, — 

" Haurire venena 
Compulimus dirum Syphacem." 

Two centuries more brought the days of Roman 
luxury, when the same beauty of scenery which now 
attracts so many visitors, made it the favorite residence 
of poets, philosophers, and statesmen, and the ruins of 
their villas are still scattered about through the lovely 
valleys and on the hill-sides. Then, its praises began 

1 Lib. i. c. 13. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 229 

to be sung in the harmonious measures of verse, and 
thus by Roman poets the name of Tivoli was first in- 
vested with those sweet associations, which still cling 
to it wherever it is heard. Virgil bestowed on it the 
epithet, " Superbum Tibur," and to this day these 
words are borne as the motto on the city arms. Ca- 
tullus, who was a wealthy patrician as well as a poet, 
had here his villa, in whose praises he delighted to 
dwell ; Propertius pays his tribute to the beauty of 
these hills and valleys ; and the words " lucus Ti- 
burni " often occur in the sweetest lyrics of Horace. 
His verses, he tells us, were often composed when wan- 
dering among its shady groves, — 

*' Circa nemus, uvidique 
Tiburis ripas operosa parvus 
Carmina fingo." 

That he had a villa here, we do not believe, nor is 
any credit to be attached to the scattered ruins which 
here go by his name." ^ The very terms he uses proves 
the fact. When expressing the earnest wish that he 
might spend his declining years among its retreats, his 
language is — 

" Sit meae sedes utinam senectse." 

But the " sit utinam " shows that it was rather a hope 
fondly cherished, than anything which he had realized. 
He lived in a day, however, w^henthe Roman Patricians 
delighted to patronize genius, and here at the table of 
his friend Maecenas and the other lordly patrons whom 
he celebrates in his verses, the poet was undoubtedly 
often found, a visitor in Tibur, though not a resident. 
Some miles distant, in a little valley formed by the 
ridges of Mount Lucretilis, is the probable site of Hor- 

1 Eustace, ii. 70. 



230 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

ace's modest Sabine farm. There, the features of the 
landscape so graphically portrayed in his lines, remain 
unchanged, and we recognize them at once. Even 
" the pine waving over the villa," and '' the ilex 
spreading around the rocks," as they shade the ruined 
wall and broken mosaic pavement, still mark the fidel- 
ity of his descriptions. 

Nearly three centuries later, and a captive princess 
came to Tibur, to transfer to its hills the regal luxury 
of the East. It was Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, to 
whom Aurelian gave his palace in this place, and 
whose daughter he elevated to his throne as Em- 
press of Rome. How must the haughty spirit of the 
eastern queen have chafed within her, when thus 
forced to live within sight of Imperial Rome, where 
a captive she had walked to grace the triumph of her 
conqueror ! The memory of that day, when exposed 
to the rude gaze of a Roman populace, she formed a 
part of the same pageant with gladiators, and wild 
beasts from the East, and captives from Gaul, and the 
rich and gorgeous treasures of her own palace borne 
as spoils of war, must have recurred with crushing 
weight to the mind of one who had hitherto been 
served only with the abject servility of oriental cere- 
mony. And when there was mingled with this, the 
recollections of her proud Palmyra, — that glorious 
city of the desert, — we may well believe, that among 
the millions who owed allegiance to Aurelian, there was 
no one more wretched than the mother of his queen. 
But all her magnificence has passed away, and no 
traces of her existence here remain, except the ruins 
of the Baths she erected on the Anio, and which still 
retain the name " Bagni di Regina." 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 231 

With the Middle Ages, the luxury and splendor of 
Tivoli — for in the eighth century it had taken this 
name — passed away, and it became the centre of 
strife and warfare. Its convenient distance from 
Rome rendered it a place of importance, and for cen- 
turies it was deeply concerned in all the struggles be- 
tween the Emperors and Popes — the Guelphs and 
Ghibellines. Whenever a faction was expelled from 
the city, its adherents passed over the Campagna, 
made here their first halting-place, and fortifying 
themselves, waited the opportunity to return. It 
seemed as if for Tivoli the Iron Age had been re- 
newed. In succession it became a stronghold of the 
powerful houses of the Colonna and the Orsini. Here, 
too, for a time, were the head-quarters of Rienzi, and 
on the Square of San Lorenzo he once publicly ha- 
rangued the people with that wild eloquence, which so 
often enabled him to sway the minds of men, and from 
a peasant to become the Tribune of Rome. 

A miserable, dirty town, filled with some fifteen 
thousand inhabitants, as ferocious and lawless as ages 
of strife and misrule could make them, is all that re- 
mains of this classical and once powerful place. The 
contrast between the old Roman elegance and the din- 
ner they furnished us at the inn La Hegina^ was as 
great as that which we afterwards found at Capua, the 
vilest, dirtiest place in all Italy, but which we only 
remembered as the city whose luxury enervated the 
army of Hannibal. We passed through the town, 
picking up a guide on our way, and commenced a sur- 
vey of the Falls. These are certainly exceedingly 
beautiful. There is a wide, deep valley, the circuit 
of w^hich is about three miles, and on one side, half- 



232 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

way up the mountain, the town has been built. Be- 
neath it, far below its foundations, the rocks are per- 
forated by caverns, out of which and all around the 
circle of the romantic glen, the cascades come dashing 
forth, flinging their spray into the air, and when the 
sun shines, arched by the most beautiful rainbows. 
There are more than twenty of tliese wild mountain 
torrents seen from different points, as you ride round 
the terrace whicli forms tlie sides of the valley. It is 
about an hundred feet to the bottom, and the water 
rushes down, leaping from rock to rock, and beauti- 
fully contrasting its sheet of silvery foam with the 
brilliant verdure of the valley behind. The streams 
seem to race forth and hurry on as if they were eager 
to meet below, where they unite in the quiet river, 
and glide peacefully away together. Every step va- 
ries and changes the prospect. At one time the foam- 
ing water disappears entirely among the chasms in the 
rocks, or darts away behind the trees and drooping 
vines, or sinks into some retired grotto, and then once 
more suddenly dashes forth, and flings itself over a 
precipice in one dazzling sheet of foam, which is again 
lost to sight in the dark gulf beneath. Wilder scenes 
I have seen in my own land, yet never one uniting 
so much of the grandeur of nature with the soft and 
beautiful. The contrast is so striking, between the 
brilliant sunlight above, imparting an emerald tint to 
the vines and shrubs on which it rests, and the deep 
gloom of the gulf beneath. 

And all the way up the glen for miles is a succession 
of the same scenes of beauty. At times, we come to 
a spot of calm and peaceful loveliness, which almost 
seems to have escaped the curse, and reminds us of 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 233 

the glory of Eden before the earth had grown aged, 
and ceased to reflect back the serenity of Heaven. 
Then is heard again the murmur of the Httle stream 
as it falls over the rocks, and then, a little further 
on, not a sound breaks the stillness, as we reach some 
retired valley, where the water spreads out into a suc- 
cession of little mirrors, in whose bosom we see the 
deep blue of the sky above, — 

" Bright lakes, those glistening eyes of solitude." i 

Upon a lofty crag, on the very edge of the wild cir- 
cular valley, and overlooking the picturesque scene we 
have described, stands the little Temple of the Tibur- 
tine Sibyl. It is a hght and fairy thing, not more than 
twenty feet in diameter, circular, like that of Vesta 
at Rome, and surrounded by elegant Corinthian col- 
umns. What rites were performed there we know not, 
or what deity was worshipped in this picturesque little 
fane, yet a more romantic spot could not have been 
selected, or a more beautiful shrine built for any faith. 
Visible from every point of the landscape, it might well 
have been dedicated to the nymph of these gushing 
fountains. It seemed in perfect character with the 
scene, — harmonizing well with the deep foliage around 
it, and the lonely torrent on which it looked down, — 
resting there in its antique beauty, the relic of an age 
of taste and elegance, which even succeeding barbarism 
had not the heart to destroy. 

A little further on is the ruined Villa of Maecenas, 
where the patron of Virgil and Horace passed the 
months of summer heat, free from the cares of states- 
manship. It looks out over the Campagna, and in the 

1 The Gipsies^ by A. P. Stanley. 



234 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

distance he might have seen the Imperial City, with 
the golden towers of the Capitol soaring high above it. 
Throucrh three of the massive arches which still remain, 
the torrent has found its way, and goes dashing on until 
it is lost in the valley beneath. We returned to the 
town, and followed our guide as he unlocked a gate, 
and conducted us down a steep and rocky path, which 
led to the bottom of the glen. Here, among the vines, 
wet with spray, stalactites hang about glittering like 
gems, and the water has worn its way into the soft 
rock, forming in every direction strangely shaped grot- 
toes, where the moss has grown, covering them like a 
rich carpet. The largest is called the Cavern of Nep- 
tune, though it would much more appropriately bear 
the name of some water nymph. 

From these Alban hills — which we cross on the road 
from Naples — the traveller should always liave his first 
view of Rome, if he would avoid disappointment. On 
every other side but little of the city is seen until you 
are almost under its walls. Here, on the contrary, the 
Campagna spreads out before us in all its dreariness, 
and from the Mediterranean on the one side, to the Ap- 
ennines on the other, we have one wide prospect of deso- 
lation, broken only here and there by a few scattered 
ruins, while in the centre of this mighty plain rises the 
city, its domes, and cupolas, and columns, seen at a single 
glance from the distance of nearly twenty miles. There 
is something, indeed, awful in this desolate grandeur 
contrasting so strongly with the glorious landscape, on 
which Hannibal and Pyrrhus gazed from this very spot. 

It was among these hills, too, that Claude painted 
many of his landscapes. His house still stands on the 
Pincian Mount, near the Convent of Santa Trinita, so 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 235 

that even from the window of his studio he looked over 
Rome, and day after day watched the changing hghts, 
and the rich glow, which he has transferred so faithfully 
to his canvas. We wonder not, indeed, that he lin- 
gered among such scenes ! In our own land we have 
scenery which Salvator Rosa would have delighted to 
paint, yet of its grand features we may become weary. 
There is little to enlist the heart and the affections. 
We have no past. But we can never tire of the calm 
loveliness of an Italian landscape. It is not nature 
alone. It is mingled everywhere with those graceful 
forms, which three thousand years ago art assumed, and 
which have still survived, only more beautiful from age. 
The sun was going down in cloudless beauty when 
we commenced our descent of the hills. Its beams 
lighted up the distant dome of St. Peter's, and shed 
their mellow radiance over the dreary Campagna. The 
whole scene was bathed in a flood of that golden light 
which Raphael has painted in his " Transfiguration," 
imparting even an air of cheerfulness to the dark cy- 
presses and pines, which overshadowed the old tombs 
on the plain below. Then came the gradual change. 
The rich purple which crested the hills melted from 
our sight, as one by one the stars came out. The 
golden tints faded from the landscape, lingered awhile 
longer in the western sky, and then were exchanged 
for that deep blue which characterizes the brief Italian 
night. With the windows closed to escape the deadly 
malaria which was rising around, we drove rapidly on, 
and by eight o'clock were once more within the gates 
of the city. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

THE CHURCHES OF ROME. 

T was not suddenly that the reign of Pagan- 
ism ended in Rome. Its decline was grad- 
ual and slow. One light after another 
faded away, until its shrines were left in 
darkness. The old belief had to pass through many 
stages before its power was ended, and it was num- 
bered with those forgotten forms of faith which have 
had their day. It first ceased to be a popular religion 
and lost its hold upon the hearts of the multitude ; 
then, it • passed into a system of philosophy for the 
learned ; and ere it expired, had still further degener- 
ated into a mere allegory to employ the ingenuity of 
its disciples. Long, however, it lingered, even after 
Christianity had become dominant, and none dared to 
confess openly their allegiance to its rival. It was not 
until A. D. 410, that we can look for its last expiring 
throes. When in that year, for the first time the Im- 
perial City was occupied by the invaders, a shock was 
felt throughout the world, and men wildly turned to 
any cause which might account for her fall. Many, in 
their despair, ascribed this disastrous consummation to 
the new religion, and to win back the gods they sup- 
posed had forsaken them, offered for the last time sacri- 
fices at their long-deserted shrines. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 237 

But as step by step Paganism retreated, Chris- 
tianity followed hard upon its footsteps. When the 
fires had gone out on its altars, and no more worship- 
pers crowded its temples, the new faith at once suc- 
ceeded to them as spoils won in the conflict she was 
waging ; and it is to this cause — as in the case of the 
Pantheon — we may probably ascribe the preservation 
of some of these relics of antiquity. They were gen- 
erally, however, too contracted ; the interior, or pene- 
tralia^ being only intended to receive the images of 
the gods, and not adapted, therefore, to the meeting of 
assemblies which had now become numerous. 

The Christians naturally turned then to the Basili- 
cas^ or Halls of Justice, some of which, as the popu- 
lation of the city decreased, or perhaps as the govern- 
ment grew more absolute, became useless. And most 
admirably did they answer the purpose of Christian 
worship. The large area and the long aisles seemed 
built to accommodate a numerous audience, while the 
semicircular retreat (^apsis^ at the end, elevated on its 
flight of steps, needed but little change to prepare it 
for the Bishop and his Presbyters. Several of these 
were therefore granted by the Christian Emperors to 
the Church, and consecrated for the performance of 
their services. But yet this new consecration of hea- 
then temples seemed often insufficient to expel the 
Paganism which lingered about their walls, or to 
change the associations with which a half-Christianized 
people regarded the spot. And in some cases we trace 
these feelings existing even to this day. Under the 
brow of the Palatine Hill is a circular building, once 
the Temple of Romulus, to which the women of an- 
cient Rome were accustomed to carry their children 



238 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

when ill, that the priests might pray for their recovery. 
It is now the Church of St. Theodore, and you may at 
any time see the women of modern Rome carrying 
thither their children on the same occasions. 

You have been with us, gentle reader, in a ramble 
through the palaces of Rome, where historical associa- 
tions crowd upon the mind, and miracles of art meet 
the eye on every side : shall we make also a pilgrim- 
age to some of her churches ? Few indeed will there 
be time to visit, — half a dozen perhaps, selected from 
some two hundred, — yet you will find them no less in- 
teresting than the feudal residences of her nobility. 
The traces of antiquity are there also, for you can stand 
within the walls where they worshipped, who for four- 
teen centuries have been hymning praises in the Para- 
dise of God. There, too, painting and sculpture have 
placed their noblest works, for you are among a people, 
the spirit of whose faith it is, to dedicate the best they 
have to their Lord. No Gothic architecture indeed is 
seen, with its painted windows and '' dim religious 
light : " for this, you must resort to Milan and study 
its magnificent Cathedral. And yet, when you wander 
through one of the churches in Rome, you feel that 
Genius has written on every side the traces of its pres- 
ence. " Incense-breathing " chapels are about you — 
and delicate carvings wrought out from the marble as 
if it could be moulded up at will — and all so rich 
and quaint and clerkly, that you scarcely feel the 
want of that solemn architecture, which in Northern 
Europe seems alone to be ecclesiastical. 

The mere literary man turns with the deepest inter- 
est to the Church of aS'^. Onofrio^ for the adjoining 
monastery of the hermits of St. Jerome is consecrated 



THE CHPdSTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 239 

as the place where the author of " Gerusalemme Lib- 
erata " breathed his last. Strange and sorrowful had 
been his pilgrimage through life ! At one time flat- 
tered at the most brilliant courts ; then wandering 
through the land which was ringing with his genius, 
yet wayworn, unknown, and in poverty ; then a pris- 
oner in the dungeons of Ferrara, — he had come at 
last to Rome, where it seemed as if he was to receive 
a reward for all his trials. He was soon to be solemnly 
crowned with laurel at the Capitol, yet ere the day 
for the ceremony arrived, there were symptoms that 
the springs of life were giving way, and he was con- 
veyed to the monastery of St. Onofrio. 

In this garden looking over Rome, and blending, 
in the mind of one who gazes from its terraces, a 
sense of the present beauty of nature with a remem- 
brance of the ancient glory of the city, Tasso was ac- 
customed to sit. The poor monks will point out to you 
the very spot. It was there where a noble oak once 
cast its shade, but three years ago an autronn storm 
uprooted it. In those cloisters is the room in which 
he died : and as you enter the Church, turn to your 
left, and you will see a plain marble slab, with the sim- 
ple inscription, — 

'' TORQUATI TASSO OSSA." 

And thus sleeps the first epic poet of Italy — a 
brilUant spirit, which, with the customary reward of 
genius, passed through life in sorrow and pain. Yet 
no poetic visions filled his mind, as in feebleness he 
paced the walks and cloisters of this old monastery. 
He had done with human praise forever, and was 
girding up his spirit for the realities of the world to 



240 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

come. " I have come to this monastery of St. Ono- 
frio," he wrote to his best friend, a few days before 
his death, "not only because the air is commended 
by physicians, as more salubrious than in any other 
part of Rome, but that I may, as it were, commence 
in this high place, and in the conversation of these 
devout fathers, my conversation in heaven. Pray 
God for me ; and be assured that as I have loved and 
honored you in this present life, so in that other and 
more real hfe will I do for you all that belongs to char- 
ity unfeigned and true, and to the Divine Mercy I re- 
commend both you and myself." 

We were wandering one morning about the Esqui- 
line, when we found ourselves near the Church of San 
Clemente^ probably the least changed from ancient times 
of any in Rome. The quarter of the city in which it 
stands is nearly deserted. Vacant squares — grass- 
grown streets — and mouldering ruins, show how the 
wave of population has receded from the spot. Wish- 
ing a cicerone^ we entered the Dominican monastery 
adjoining the Church, but all there was as silent as it 
was without. We traversed the long stone passages 
without meeting any of the monks, and at last deter- 
mined to explore the Church ourselves. The interior 
transports us back at once to the early centuries of our 
faith. There, on an elevated platform, and divided 
from the rest of the Church by two gates, are the apsis 
or tribune, the ancient altar, and the episcopal seat. 
In front is the marble inclosure, having on the sides 
the amhones or marble pulpits from which the Epistle 
and Gospel were read. The aisles terminate in two 
recesses, anciently called Uxedrce or Cellce^ and then 
appropriated to private devotion in prayer and med- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 241 

itation. They are now converted into chapels. This 
is probably the only Church which preserves the form 
of the old Basilicas. It is mentioned as ancient by 
authors of the fourth century, and though often re- 
paired and decorated, has never been deprived of its 
primitive shape and fashion. 

Let us pass on a short distance and we come to the 
Church of S. Pietro in VineolL Its name and the 
chain sculptured over the portal give an explanation 
of its object. It is intended to preserve the chain 
with which St. Peter was bound when a prisoner in 
Jerusalem, and on the first of August this holy relic 
is shown publicly to the people. 

Much more interesting, however, to the visitor is 
Michael Angelo's celebrated statue of Moses, which is 
considered by many to rival the grandest productions 
of the Grecian chisel. It is colossal in its size, and 
represents him with that sternness upon his counte- 
nance w^hich w^e may imagine was imprinted there 
when he rebuked the idolatry of his people. It was 
intended as one of forty statues which were to orna- 
ment the tomb of Julius II. The monument, however, 
was never executed, only five of the statues being fin- 
ished at the time of Michael Angelo's death. Of 
these, three are in this Church ; one is in Paris ; and 
the fifth in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The 
Pope himself was buried in the Vatican. 

There is a peculiarity about this figure, which, majes- 
tic as it is, has often exposed it to ridicule. On each 
side of the head of Moses, a small horn is just budding 
forth. '' One critic," says Forsyth, '' compares his 
head to a goat's ; " and we often see the same pecul- 
iarity in paintings of the Middle Ages. What does it 

16 



242 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

mean? I have never seen any explanation given, but 
the following struck me as being a natural solution. 
In the original Hebrew the same word, U^y^\r--i ^^ used 
both for horns and ra^/s of lights and it was of course 
easy to confound them. When therefore it is said 
in Exodus xxxiv. 29, that as Moses came down from 
the Mount, ''he wist not that the skin of his face 
shone," the Vulgate — the version of the Church of 
Rome — renders it, " Et ignorabat quod cornuta esset 
facies sua;" "and he did not know that his face was 
horned." It was this phrase, then, which probably led 
to the mistake, and accounts for the manner in which 
both painters and sculptors were accustomed to rep- 
resent the Jewish Lawgiver. In our own version, in- 
deed, precisely the same mistake is made with this 
word in another passage. In Habakkuk it says, "He 
had horns coming out of his hand." It should, of 
course, be rays of light. 

We pass on to the magnificent Basilica of S, Maria 
Maggiore^ the noblest Church in Rome dedicated to 
the Virgin, and hence its name. It stands in an open 
square, and the exterior is richly ornamented, while 
the nave in the interior is nearly three hundred feet in 
length. The elaborately carved roof is richly gilded, 
and derives an additional interest from the fact, that 
the gold used was the first ever brought to Europe 
from Peru. It was presented to Alexander VI. by 
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Now and then the 
great services of the Church are performed in this 
splendid Basilica ; as on Christmas Eve, when the 
Cradle of our Lord is carried in procession ; and on 
the festivals of the Assumption and the Nativity of 
the Virgin, when the Pope himself performs High 
Mass at its altar. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 243 

Just behind it, however, is a little Church not often 
visited, but which once in the year is the scene of 
some strange ceremonies. It is dedicated to St. An- 
thony, the patron of the brute creation, and every 
January, when his Festival comes round, there is a 
service for their especial benefit. The first time I wit- 
nessed it, I was involuntarily a participant to some 
extent in the ceremony. We were riding w^ith a lady, 
when crossing the open square a priest in his surplice 
was seen standing on the steps of this little Church, 
while one carriage after anotlier was driving up to it, 
stopping before him for a few minutes, and then pass- 
ing on to make room for others. 

''What," she inquired of the courier, ''are they 
doing there ? " 

" Blessing the horses, Madame." 

" Then tell the coachman to drive up, and w^e will 
have ours blessed." 

So accordingly up he drove. The servants rev- 
erently took off their hats, and the priest commenced 
reading a prayer from his book. When he had fin- 
ished, he took a brush from the hand of an attendant, 
dipped it in a bucket of holy water at his feet, and 
sprinkled the horses, repeating the w^ords, — 

" Per intercessionem Beati Antonii Abatis, hsec 
animalia liberenter, a malis, in nomine Patris, et Filu, 
et Spiritus Sancti. Amen." (Through the interces- 
sion of the blessed Abbot Anthony, may these animals 
be delivered from evil, in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen). 

A small fee was handed to the priest, and we con- 
tinued our ride. For several days this service is con- 
stantly going on. The following Sunday, however, 



244 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 

was the great day. Then, the Square was crowded 
^^lth animals, and thousands of people were there as 
spectators. The magnificent carriages of the Pope, 
each drawn by six horses, and the scarcely less splen- 
did equipages of the Cardinals and the Roman princes 
came up, to go through the ceremony. Long rows of 
post-horses arrived from different parts of the city, 
and the mules of the peasantry fi'om the country, 
decked out in ribbons and flowers, while their masters 
were in all their best array. A friend told me, that 
on one of these days he saw a young man drag up to 
the church door a miserable looking little dog, which 
he held by a string while the service was read, and 
the poor cur received his share of holy water. 

What is the precise meaning of this ceremony? 
Or, what particular benefit are the animals expected 
to derive from this service, which seems like an in- 
ferior kind of baptism ? These are questions to which 
it is difficult to procure definite answers. In " Ger- 
aldine," however, a hook published in defense of the 
Church of Rome, and recommended by Bishop Ken- 
rick, as " a work of great interest, directed to remove 
prejudice, and present the light of tinith," is a defense 
of this service, from which we make the following quo- 
tation, — 

'^ ' But what good did all the blessing and sprinkling 
do the cattle, and their owners,' said Miss Leonard, 
' when they left the good monk, just as vicious and 
distempered as when they came to him ? ' " 

" ' That is indeed begging the question,' said Ger- 
aldine \ ^ I do not believe that the cattle were so much 
80 after the blessing as before.^ " ^ 

1 Vol. iii. p. 40. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 245 

In another work of fiction, also, we lately found a 
rather more complete summing up of the benefits, as 
given by an Italian peasant, — " Is it not a good horse 
which we have? then it has also had this year St. 
Antonio's blessing ; my fellow decked him out with 
bunches of silken ribbons, opened the Bible before 
him, and sprinkled him with holy water ; and no devil, 
or evil eye, can have any influence on him this 
year."^ 

From the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore, a broad, 
deserted avenue leads to that of St, John Lateran. 
This section of the city, indeed, seems scarcely in- 
habited, an air of desolation pervades it, and the ma- 
laria reigns on every side. And yet, a few centuries 
ago the Lateran Palace was esteemed the most salu- 
brious residence in Rome. Now it stands deserted, and 
as we look around, we see open fields and vineyards 
among the decaying houses, and silent moss-grown 
squares. 

This magnificent Basilica was commenced by Con- 
stantino in the fourth century, he assisting with his own 
hands to dig the foundation. He had previously con- 
ferred upon the Church the adjoining Lateran Palace, 
— so called from Plautius Lateranus, who was put to 
death by Nero for being engaged in the conspiracy of 
Piso, — the beginning of those gifts to the Bishop of 
Rome, which drew forth the comments of Dante, when 
he thus lamented the system it originated, — 

" Ah, Constantine ! to how much ill gave birth, 
Not thy conversion, but that plenteous dower, 
Which the first wealthy Father gained from thee." 2 

For a thousand years this palace was the residence 

1 The Improvisator e^ vol. i. p. 296. 2 jl Inferno^ xix. 18. 



246 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

of the Popes — the scene of all the licentiousness and 
fierce feuds of the Middle Ages, which finally wearied 
out men's minds, and prepared them to welcome the 
changes of the Reformation. The ceremony of taking 
possession of the palace is still the first form used after 
the election of the new Pope, although it has long 
ceased to be the Pontifical residence. In 1693 Inno- 
cent XII. turned it into an hospital for the poor, and 
in the last year a portion has been set apart for a mu- 
seum, to receive those works of art for which no room 
can be found in the Vatican. 

The Church itself has always been regarded as the 
first of Christian churches, and bears over its portal the 
proud inscription, — " Sacrosancta Lateranensis Ec- 

CLESIA, OMNIUM URBI3 ET ORBIS EcCLESIARUM MATER 

ET CAPUT." Its Chapter still takes precedence over 
that of St. Peter's, and thus, for fifteen centuries, it 
has retained its privileges. 

The exterior of the building is of a ponderous yet 
sumptuous architecture. It is, however, of that kind, 
overloaded with ornament, which seems to leave no 
definite impression on the mind. It has been truly 
remarked, that no one can look for half an hour at the 
simple Grecian temples at Psestum, without being able 
to make a rough sketch of them, while few of those 
even who have spent a winter at Rome, could give 
on paper any idea of the front of S. Maria Maggiore or 
St. John Lateran. The interior has a most imposing 
effect from the multitude of pillars which are seen, 
nearly three hundred being employed. There are 
five aisles, divided by four rows of piers. Its decora- 
tions, too, are rich in the extreme, corresponding with 
the rank, antiquity, and magnitude of the Basilica. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 247 

The bronze tomb of Martin V., of the princely house 
of Colonna ; the Corsini Chapel, covered with the rich- 
est marbles, and bas-reliefs^ and gems ; and the Gothic 
tabernacle above the High Altar, constructed in the 
fourteenth century, to receive the heads of St. Peter 
and St. Paul, which happened then to be discovered 
among the ruins of the old Basihca, are unsurpassed 
in magnificence by anything in Rome. 

The devout Romanist visits this Church with rever- 
ence, on account of its multitude of precious relics. 
They are varied in their character, and certainly won- 
derful in their claims. There are divers pillars, some 
of which are from Pilate's house, and one belonged to 
the Temple at Jerusalem. It bears marks of the earth- 
quake which took place at the Crucifixion, having been 
at that time split in two. Here is a piece of the table 
on which our Lord and His disciples leaned when they 
ate the Last Supper ; and on that slab of marble the 
Roman soldiers cast lots, when they divided the gar- 
ments of Christ. You cannot doubt the legend, for the 
stone itself bears the inscription, — *' Et super vestem 
meam miserunt sortem." The one, however, which 
the priest evidently shows with the highest degree of 
satisfaction, is a marble altar, the very sight of which 
settles a theological difficulty, and should be sufficient 
to convert a heretic. A miracle, they tell us, was 
wrought upon it to prove the doctrine of transubstan- 
tiation. A priest, who had suffered some impious 
doubts on this point to enter his mind, was once stand- 
ing before it consecrating the elements, when as soon as 
the prayer had been pronounced, and the change taken 
place, the holy wafer fell from his hand, and sunk 
through the marble, leaving the marks of blood as it 



248 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

went. The hole through which it passed, and the stain 
it made, are both before you ! This miracle took place 
at Bolsena, and in the Vatican is a fresco, by Raphael, 
intended to illustrate it. On one side of the altar 
stands the priest, for whose benefit the wonder had 
taken place, regarding the wafer with astonishment 
and reverence, while behind him are tlie choir boys, 
and people pressing forward, with awe and curiosity on 
their countenances. On the other side, Julius II. is 
kneeling in prayer, attended by his Cardinals and 
Swiss guards. 

But the student of ecclesiastical history has better 
reasons to enlist his interest in this ancient Church. 
Five General Councils, from the twelfth to the six- 
teenth century, met within its walls. In one of them, 
which was held a. d. 1215, were present, the Patriarchs 
of Constantinople and Jerusalem, four hundred Bishops, 
and Ambassadors of France, England, Hungary, Ara- 
gon, Sicily, and Cyprus. Here, too, for many centuries 
the Popes were always elected, and thus from these 
walls proceeded that influence which was to be felt 
throughout the Christian world. 

These were the recollections which crowded our 
minds as we stood within this silent Church, where 
no sound was heard but the scarcely audible voice of a 
priest celebrating the Mass in a distant chapel. And 
particularly we thought of the strange scene which took 
place when these arches rang with the name of Hilde- 
brand, as he was thus suddenly summoned to the Ponti- 
fical throne. It was on a morning of April, 1073, that 
before this High Altar stood the bier of Pope Alexander 
II., while the whole building was densely crowded with 
those who had come to witness the funeral services. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS I^' ROME. 249 

The solemn requiem was wailing forth, and all were 
uniting in its petitions to commend the soul of the de- 
parted Pontiff to its Judge, when suddenly the softened 
strain was overwhelmed by a shout. None could tell 
by whom it was commenced, for it seemed to burst at 
once from every part of the edifice. The mighty crowd 
which had gathered there appeared to have but one 
voice. The cry was, " Hildebrand." " Hildebrand 
shall be Pope." " St. Peter chooses our Archdeacon 
Hildebrand." In vain did the subject of this uproar 
rush from the fimeral procession to the pulpit, and, by 
impassioned gestures, implore silence. Ten thousand 
voices echoed the cry, — it swelled louder and louder, 
— nor did it cease till a Cardinal came forward and an- 
nounced, that '' we, the Cardinal Bishops, do, with one 
voice, elect Hildebrand to be henceforth your spiritual 
pastor and our own." Eagerly was he hurried to the 
Pontifical throne ; arrayed hastily in the scarlet robe 
and tiara ; the Cardinals paid their obeisance, and the 
still louder shouts of the people hailed him as Gregory 
VII. Thus on this spot Avas consummated an election 
which was to result in crushing the feudal despotism 
of the age, wresting all sacerdotal power from the 
hands of the Emperor, and triumphantly asserting the 
loftiest claims of the Hierarchy, until the Roman Pon- 
tiff became the ruler of the civilized world. Nearlv 
eight centuries have since gone by, but the spirit of 
Gregory is living still in the Church of Rome. It bears 
in its whole organization the impress of his gigantic 
character. In every department, — in its very frame 
and groundwork, — we can trace the influence of 
that tumultuous hour which then passed within these 
walls. 



250 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

We left the Church, and stood for some time on its 
steps looking at the deserted avenues and squares 
around it. Directly in front towers up an obelisk, 
the loftiest in Rome. It rises in the air nearly one 
hundred and fifty feet, a single shaft of red granite, 
covered with hieroglyphics. Rameses erected it in 
Thebes, and Plinv tells us that he lived durino; the 
Trojan war. A hundred and twenty thousand men 
had been employed in cutting it from its native quarry, 
and there for ages it stood, under the burning sun of 
Egypt, and among its massive temples. Strange and 
mysterious rites were performed around it ; new creeds 
grew up ; revolutions rolled on ; dynasties passed 
away ; and as the centuries went by, it beheld one 
kingdom after another crumble into ruins at its base. 
At length, the people who reared it ceased to be a na- 
tion, — their antique faith vanished from the earth, — 
and the land around became once more a desert. Then 
came an iron race from the distant West, and after 
years of toil it was removed to gratify the pride of a 
Roman Emperor. Fourteen centuries have since passed, 
and we behold it now as fresh and unchanged as when 
it stood in the heart of Egypt, and the priests of Isis 
looked upon it towering above their Sacred Groves. 
It still bears upon its sides the chronicles of forgotten 
ages, but modern wisdom cannot decipher their strange 
characters. What a history could that old obelisk re- 
late, and to what a i^iysterious and shadowy antiquity 
does it carry back the mind ! 

On one side of the Basilica stands the Baptistery, a 
small octagonal building which is said to have been 
erected by the Emperor Constantine, and though fre- 
quently repaired, yet it has always been done in ac- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 251 

cordance with its original design. This account of its 
erection may be true, for it is the unvarying testimony 
of tradition. Within it is a large porphyry vase which 
is always shown as the one in which Constantine re- 
ceived the rite of Baptism. And yet, it is a fact proved 
by the authority of all Greek and Latin writers, that 
the first Christian Emperor w^as not initiated into the 
Church until sinking beneath his last mortal sickness, 
and then, the service was performed in a distant land. 
Theodoret says, " The Emperor was taken ill at Ni- 
comedia, a city of Bitliynia. Being thus led to reflect 
on the uncertainty of life, he received the holy rite of 
Baptism, which he had intended to have deferred until 
he could be baptized in the river Jordan." ^ And Soc- 
rates confirms it w^ith his authority : — ''In the follow- 
ing year the Emperor Constantine w^as attacked with 
a dangerous malady ; he therefore left Constantinople, 
and made a voyage to Helen opolis, to try the effect of 
its medicinal hot springs. Perceiving, however, that 
his illness increased, he deferred the use of the baths ; 
and removing from Helenopolis to Nicomedia, he took 
up his residence in the suburbs, and there received 
Christian Baptism." ^ This fact, indeed, has always 
been one of the mysteries of ecclesiastical history. More 
than twenty-five years had passed since he avowed 
himself a Christian, before he took the very first step 
in the profession of our faith. Was it from supersti- 
tion, because he believed that Baptism washed away 
all sins of the past, and therefore it was well to defer 
it as late as possible ? Or, was it because he did not 
wish to alienate entirely his heathen subjects, lest in 

1 Theod., Eccles. Hist. lib. i. chap. 32. 

2 Soc, Eccles. Hist. lib. i. chap. 39. 



252 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

some unexpected emergency their allegiance should 
fail ; while at the same time the Christians who sur- 
rounded him, relieved from persecution, were willing 
to receive their Imperial convert on almost any terms, 
and therefore forbore too much to press this point, 
trusting that greater light would lead him naturally to 
adopt it ? As a fact, however, this delay of Baptism 
seems to be certain, and throws discredit, therefore, on 
the claims of the prophyry vase. 

But the use to which it was appropriated on the 
night of August 1st, a. d. 1347, has much more 
surely connected it with history. Then, the Tribune 
Rienzi watched through the midnight hours beside his 
armor, as was the custom of those who on the morrow 
were to receive the knightly order of the Santo Spirito, 
and from some strange association in his mind, — so 
colored by the wild mysticism which Arnold of Bres- 
cia had inculcated two centuries earlier, — he ordered 
his bath to be prepared in this vase which was looked 
upon as consecrated. But the Papal Court had no 
sympathy with such visionary superstition, and when 
the Tribune fell and was imprisoned in the dungeons of 
Avignon, this act of sacrilege was one of the strongest 
charges against him. 

On the other side of the Basilica is a noble portico 
constructed by Sixtus V. and intended to cover the 
Scala Santa or Holy Staircase. This consists of 
twenty-eight broad marble steps, which tradition tells 
us are the indentical steps once belonging to Pilate's 
house, and by which our Lord descended when he left 
the Judgment Seat. The marvel of course is, that 
they could have escaped the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and all the vicissitudes which for centuries befell the 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 253 

Christians. I find, however, upon consulting a Roman 
Cathohc work, the legend is, that during the forty 
years the judgments which fell on Jerusalem were 
suspended, the Christians were on the watch to secure 
all the relics of their Master, and returning from Pella, 
after the siege, when terror and confusion reigned, they 
concealed and carried away the precious steps. No 
one is now permitted to ascend them but on their 
knees, and an Indulgence of about two hundred and 
fifty years is promised to each one who accomplishes 
the feat, at the same time, '' devoutly meditating on 
the Passion." At whatever part of the day you are 
there, you see numbers going through the painful ser- 
vice. Men and women — people of rank and beggars 
— old persons and children — are toiling up, often 
quite exhausted before they reach the top. When they 
have gained the highest step, they stoop down and 
kiss a brass cross inserted in the marble, and the pen- 
ance is over. At one time, indeed, there seemed to be 
danger that the marble itself would be worn out by 
the knees of the countless pilgrims who availed them- 
selves of the offers of Indulgence. By order of Cle- 
ment XII., therefore, the steps were covered with 
planks of wood, which have been obliged to be re- 
newed three times. 

Luther tells us of an incident in his own life which 
occurred on this spot. When the poor Saxon monk 
was in Rome, while his mind was in its transition 
state, — disgusted with the superstitions around him, 
and yet not knowing to what else to turn, — he deter- 
mined to gain the Indulgence promised for ascending 
this staircase. While he was slowly climbing up, he 
seemed to hear a voice speaking from the depth of his 



254 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

heart, " The just shall live by faith." He started in 
terror from the steps up which he had been crawling, 
and struck with shame at his degradation, fled from 
this scene of his folly. 

The little Chapel at the top contains a large number 
of relics, and is therefore so sacred that no woman is 
allowed to enter it. An inscription indeed states, that 
" there is no place more holy in all the world." 
Among these relics are some of the barley-loaves and 
fishes, part of the purple robe, and of the reed with 
which Christ was smitten. The most remarkable, how- 
ever, is a very sacred painting, claiming to be a cor- 
rect likeness of our Lord at the age of twelve years. 
According to this portrait he was precisely five feet 
eight inches high at that age. It was begun by St. 
Luke, but leaving it for a time, on his return he found 
it miraculously finished. 

On each side of the Holy Staircase is a lateral one, 
by which pilgrims can descend, and as these steps have 
not the same sanctity, they may be ascended also in 
the ordinary way. 

There is one other Church which deserves a brief 
notice. We rode out one afternoon to the BasiHca of 
San Paolo fuori le mure., on the road to Ostia, about 
two miles beyond the Porta San Paolo. Formerly, we 
are told, a portico, supported by marble pillars, and 
covered with gilt copper, extended the whole of this 
distance from the gate to the Church, but no traces of 
it can now be seen. Tradition informs us, that the 
original edifice was erected by Constantino on this 
spot, where repose the remains of the Apostle Paul. 
In the fourth century, a still more magnificent one was 
built by the Emperor Theodosius in its place, and thence- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 255 

forth it became a spot to which every pilgrim to the 
Holy City turned his steps. Ancient writers, indeed, 
seem hardly able to find words with which to describe 
its splendor. They tell us of its five aisles ; its lofty 
nave, two hundred and sixty feet long, and a hundred 
and forty wide ; its pillars, a hundred and thirty-eight 
in number, and of such rare marbles, and exquisite 
workmanship, that they were believed to have been 
transported from an Athenian temple described by 
Pausanius. Some were of porphyry, and others of 
that beautiful marble called pavonazzo — white, tinged 
with delicate purple. On the top of these pillars was 
the celebrated series of portraits of the Popes, from St. 
Peter to Pius VII. Theu' true history seems to be, 
that they were commenced by Leo I. in the fifth cen- 
tury, who had his predecessors also painted. Before 
his time they are, of course, therefore imaginary, but 
afterwards, with some exceptions, they might have been 
genuine. 

But all this has long since passed away. About 
twenty years ago the Church took fire, and the flames 
raged with such violence that the whole was entirely 
consumed, and even the splendid columns completely 
calcined or split into fragments. The rebuilding, how- 
ever, was immediately commenced, on a scale which 
will be second only to St. Peter's, and large sums are 
constantly contributed by princes and sovereigns in all 
quarters of the world. The High Altar and transept 
have alone been finished, and many years will elapse 
before the nave is completed. Even as we saw it, how- 
ever, its magnificence is great, and the marble pillars 
are the most splendid we have ever seen. 
. But, except as a mere monument, the Church will 



256 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

be utterly useless, for no one can live in this neighbor- 
hood of pestilence. It stands in one of the most deadly- 
portions of the Campagna, — the adjoining monastery 
of Benedictine monks has been for years almost de- 
serted, — and the road which leads to it from the city 
seems entirely unfrequented. Even the priests, who 
minister at the altars, can remain but for a short time 
in winter. As soon as the spring approaches, they are 
obliged to fly from the deadly malaria. For whose 
benefit, then, has this sumptuous pile been erected, and 
from whence are to come the worshippers ? May we 
not also ask the question, " To what purpose is this 
waste ? " 

From thence the road leads on about three miles 
through low, marshy grounds, until we reach the spot 
on which St. Paul is said to have been beheaded. It is 
related that such was the manner of his death, his right 
as a Roman citizen having freed him from the more 
ignominious punishment of the Cross. Here stand 
close together three churches, which date from the 
early times of Christianity. In one of them, S. Paolo 
alle tre Fontane^ are three fountains, which are said to 
have sprung up where the head of the Apostle struck 
and bounded three times. Though close together, the 
water is entirely different. In the first it is brackish, 
and of a milky color ; in the second it is less so, and in 
the third entirely pure. Here, too, are the same evi- 
dences of the malaria. There are but three priests to 
perform service, who in winter are relieved every 
week, and in summer merely go out to say Mass. 
And yet, with all these precautions, two had died 
during the season. They looked languid and miser- 
able, and said that rich, generous living was prescribed 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 257 

for them, but one effect of the malaria was to take 
away all appetite. 

Such are a few of the Roman churches. With our 
ideas we can scarcely imagine the effect often produced. 
We leave the bright glare of an Italian sun, and when 
we enter, find, instead, a subdued and softened light ; 
the immense building perhaps stretches out with five 
aisles, and a perfect forest of Corinthian columns, the 
shafts of different colored and precious marbles. The 
ceiling is carved and gilt, while the pavement beneath 
is formed of mosaics. No pews obstruct the view, but 
we look through the whole immense length, and here 
and there, lessened by the distance, see some priest 
gliding noiselessly along, or some worshipper kneeling 
at a pillar's base, with his face turned to the altar. 
There seems a strange stillness in the very atmosphere 
— an impressive solemnity pervading the interior of the 
vast sanctuary. 

But whence came the means to erect these costly 
buildings? They were the free-will offerings which 
thousands made to their Lord — the donations of men 
who cared more for the glory of His house than for the 
splendor of their own residences. It is the fashion to 
call all this the fruit of superstition, but is it not thus 
too often that avarice and worldliness excuse their 
stinted avarice? Whatever other motives may have 
mingled in their minds, they who have thus sacrificed 
their worldly wealth showed a realizing sense of the 
life to come, and a belief that there is such a thing as 
" laying up treasures in heaven." 

17 



CHAPTER XX. 

EXHIBITION AT THE PROPAGANDA. FUNERALS. 

VESPERS AT THE CONVENT OF SANTA TRINITA. 



^j^.EAR our lodgings is the College of the 
Propaganda^ and we seldom pass it without 
seeing a Cardinal's carriage at the door. It 
was founded by Gregory XV., in 1622, and 
has since been justly regarded by the Church of Rome 
as her right arm of strength — the school in which 
are trained her missionaries for every foreign land. 
The building is vast, supplied with a magnificent 
library, and with a press by which books are printed 
m almost every known language. It is particularly 
rich in oriental characters, and has produced many 
works celebrated for their typographical beauty. The 
number of students — as I mentioned when speaking 
of the Epiphany services — is about eighty. It is of 
course a cherished and favored institution. 

When in Naples we saw a branch of it, devoted en- 
tirely to the instruction of young Chinese youths. It 
was an extensive establishment, but bearing marks of 
decay, and evidently not kept up as it once had been. 
The saloon into which we were first shown was painted 
with representations in fresco of the martyrdom of 
some of the Jesuit missionaries in China. It was once 
a handsome apartment, but now had a dingy, nnfur- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 269 

nished appearance. The priest who was at its head 
treated us with great poHteness, sending for all his pupils 
to introduce to us, and at his request they showed us 
the articles and utensils they had brought from their 
native land, read aloud to us from a Chinese book, and 
gave us our names written in the characters of their 
own language. The number at one time was large, 
but for some years has been gradually diminishing, and 
now only amounts to eight. One of these young men 
had been in the Institution thirteen years, and one had 
just arrived. After some years' training they generally 
go to Rome for a short time, and then return as mis- 
sionaries to their own country. 

The Examination has recently taken place at the In- 
stitution in Rome, and was followed by an Exhibition 
very much like those of our College Commencements. 
It consisted of Essays, Poems, and Colloques by the 
students, among whom were two from the United 
States. The Catholic character of the Institution is 
shown by the fact, that these compositions were in 
ffty-nine different languages and dialects. Cardinal 
Mezzofanti has since given me a programme of the ex- 
ercises, and I will copy the list of languages in which 
they were delivered, to show the wide reach taken by 
the missionary operations of this Church : — 

I. Ebbraico Letterale. XI. Arabo. 

II. Samaritano. XII. Kurdo. 

III. Etiopico. XIII. Persiano. 

IV. Caldeo Letterale . XIV. Indostano. 
V. Siriaco. XV. Turco. 

VI. Sabeo. XVI. Maltese. 

VII. Copto. XVII. Giorgiano. 

VIII. Greco Letterale. XVIII. Norwegiano. 

IX. Armeno Letterale. XIX. Dialogo Cinese Letterale, 

X'. Ode Saffica Latina. (by two students from Siam.) 



260 THE CHRISTMAS 


HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 


XX. Esametri Latini. 


XLII. Lingua della Rezia. 


XXI. Sanscrito. 


XLIII. .Olandese. 


XXII. Concanico, 


XLIV. Danese. 


(by a student from Goa.) 

XXIII. Singalese, 

(by a student from Ceylon.) 

XXIV. Amarico. 


XLV. Inglese, 

(by Sig. Elder of Baltimore.) 
XLVI. Scozzese. 
XLVII. Celtico. 


XXV. Angolano. 
XXVI. Caldeo Volgare. 
XXVII. Ebraico Rabbinico. 


XL VIII. Irlandese. 
XLIX. Chilese. 
L. Spagnuolo. 


XXVIII. Armeno Odiemo. 


LI. Portoghese. 


XXIX. Greco Odiemo. 


LII. Catalano 


XXX. Sonetto Italiano. 


LIII. Francese. 


XXXI. Svedese. 


LIV. Terzine, [ington.) 


XXXII. Dialogo Peguano, 

(by two students from Pegu.) 
XXXIII. Inno Italiano. 


f by Sig. Cummings of Wash- 
LV. Siciliano. 
LVI. Nizzardo. 


XXXIV. Illirico. 


LVII. Epigramma Latino. 


XXXV. Albanese. 


LVIII. Dialogo Cinese Odierno, 


XXXVI. Polacco. 
XXXVII. Sloveno. 


(by three Chinese students.) 
LIX. Lingua Originaria della Nu- 


XXXVIII. Bulgaro. 


ova Olanda. 


XXXIX. Tedesco antico. 
Xli. Tedesco Letterale. 


(by the Missionary Apostolic 
and Vicar-General of New 


XLI. Swizzero. 


Holland.) 



I copy this as a curiosity. We often hear of the 
many languages spoken by the students in this College 
from all parts of the world, and here is an exhibition 
of what is really done. When shall our own Church 
be thus prepared to go forth with the pure Gospel to 
" all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues ! " 



There are probably few communities in the world 
which can equal that of Rome in charitable associations. 
They are called Confraternities^ and are formed by the 
voluntary union of individuals, often of high rank, who 
in the midst of all the wretchedness around them, de- 
vote a portion of their time to its relief. Many of these 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 261 

are never seen by the mere traveller, or their existence 
even suspected, for their sphere of labor is private, yet 
it would be difficult to estimate the amount of happiness 
they must diffuse. 

One fraternity, for example, is intended to seek out 
humble but respectable families who would not be 
likely to apply for alms, and in some delicate way to 
relieve their necessities. The members of another 
visit the hospitals, learn the situation of the patients, 
and often personally attend to them. Others visit the 
jails, and furnish comfort and support to prisoners who 
are without friends or means. Others by voluntary 
donations pay debts which the poor have unavoidably 
contracted, and thus relieve their minds from trouble. 
Others seek the sick through the abodes of wretch- 
edness in the city, supply them with food, medicine, 
and professional assistance, and attend them through 
their illness. Others come in when the last hour is 
over, defray the expenses of the burial, attend to the 
performance of the religious rites, and themselves bear 
the body to the grave. ^ 

Such are their self-denying labors for the relief of 
suffering humanity. The wretched need no other 
claim upon them, except that they share in a com- 
mon nature. No " Anniversary " is required to 
awaken their flagging zeal ; no " Report " is sent out 
on the wings of the press, to trumpet forth their do- 
ings to the world ; no "List of subscribers" pub- 
lishes their charities through the land. The members 
indeed scarcely know each other, for their visits are 
made in the dress of the fraternity, so that none can 
recognize the individuals. But year after year they 

1 Eustace, Class, Tour, iii. p. 263. 



262 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

labor on — uncheered by the voice of human praise 
— their good deeds known only to their Father who 
seeth in secret. 

Those who attend to funerals, we have frequently 
seen when engaged in the performance of this duty. 
They form that '^ Ancient Brotherhood " — as Rogers 
calls it — which extends over all Italy. Men of the 
highest rank — laymen as well as priests — belong to it, 
and when summoned to this charitable work they go 
forth shrouded in white dresses, with high pointed 
cowls on their heads, veiling their faces, and leaving 
only holes for the eyes. There is something peculiarly 
ghastly in their whole appearance, so that when they 
w^alk behind the dead, '' they seem," says Corinne, 
"like the ghosts of those they follow." 

There is much solemnity in funerals abroad, where 
the Church steps in at once, and takes possession of 
the deceased as under its protection, under the sanc- 
tion of its religious authority ; and if it makes an exhi- 
bition, it is with authority, and this proclamation has 
holiness in it. All that is not ecclesiastical is kept out 
of sight. There is nothing intermediate between the 
deceased and the Church. The undertaker interferes 
not, intrudes not here to spoil all. Death, it is true, 
reigns for the hour, but Religion triumphs. The 
Church certifies the triumph, and the resurrection."^ 

We have often had these feelings while in Rome, 
for there is nothing more striking there than their 
ftmeral processions. They always take place at night, 
when the darkness seems in unison with the service, 
and we have never met them passing through the 
streets, without being arrested by the solemnity of the 

1 Prof. Wilson's Miscdlanies, iii. p. 79. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 263 

scene. The corpse is generally borne upon an open 
bier ; the head exposed, ghastly and white as marble ; 
the feet, too, uncovered ; and the light pall thrown over 
the body, showing plainly its shape and outline. The 
hands are clasped upon the breast, as if the departed 
had died in prayer, and the attitude had been left un- 
changed. 

Everything in the service is intended to be signifi- 
cant of the hour w^hen the dead shall rise again from 
the dust. The priests bear lights, to signify that im- 
mediately before the general Resurrection " the stars 
shall fall from heaven ; " and the Cross, to denote that 
then " the sign of the Son of Man shall be seen." 
The mournful notes in which thev sino- the Peniten- 
tial Psalms, declare that in that hour " all kindreds 
of the earth shall wail because of Him ; " while the 
bells, which are heard ceaselessly ringing, call upon 
all to pray for the peace of the departed soul. The 
bier is borne by these hooded brothers, while other 
members of the fraternity carry tall w^axen tapers, 
which flicker in the evening wind and throw their 
light upon the corpse, deepening the shadows, and 
bringing out everything in bold relief. And as the 
solemn procession sweeps by, they chant in melancholy 
tones the funeral anthem : — 



" Quantus tremor est futurus, 
Quando Judex est venturus 
Cuncta stricte discussurus ! 

" Turba mirum spargens sonum 
Per sepulchra regionum, 
Coget omnes ante thronum. 



264 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

" Quid sum miser tunc dicturus ? 
Quem patronum rogaturus, 
Cum vix Justus sit securus? " ^ 

There is something indescribably touching in the 
whole service, as we see the glancing lights at a dis- 
tance, or hear their old monastic chants floating through 
the long dark streets. Sometimes the voices would 
have about them a sorrowful wail, as if lamenting the 
lot of poor humanity, and crying over him they were 
bearing along, '' Alas, for thee, my brother ! " Then 
would come a louder strain, swelling out hke the 
surges of a far-off sea, partaking even of a sound of 
triumph, as if they celebrated the victory which one 
day the dead should have over the grave. And then, 
once more, it would sink into a mournful note, and 
faintly you would catch the words of the solemn dirge 
they were hymning, as the wind bore to you the plain- 
tive prayer, — 

" Miserere Domine ! '* 



There can be no life more difficult than that which 
passes within a convent. Its members enter, and are 
at once cut off* from all intercourse with the outward 

1 " How shall poor mortals quake with fears, 
When their impartial Judge appears, 
Who all their causes strictly hears ! 

" His trumpet sends a dreadful tone ; 
The noise through all the graves is blown, 
And calls the dead before His throne. 

" What plea can I, in sin, pretend ? 
What patron move to stand my friend, 
When scarce the just themselves defend? " 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 265 

world, except what they can have within the hmits of 
the high-walled garden around them. The objects of 
deepest earthly interest they know, are the trees and 
flowers whose growth they watch, and the birds which 
pay them a passing visit. No changes come to them, 
except those wrought by the gradual approach of age, 
as with stealthy step it almost imperceptibly draws nigh. 
No field of outward labor occupies their thoughts, but 
everything is centred in themselves. And thus they 
go on through long years of solitary watching, and 
mortification, and weariness, and perpetual prayer, 
unvisited by any of those joys which gather around 
the path of social life, until at last, they quietly lie 
down to their long sleep in the humble cemetery of the 
convent. 

But if any have a pleasant lot, it must be the Sisters 
of the Convent of Santa Trinita. It is situated on 
the Pincian Hill, looking over the whole of Rome 
which rises beneath it, with its pinnacles, and domes, 
and towers. What a dreamy existence must its in- 
mates pass, while everything on which the eye rests 
invites to meditation ! The deep blue of an Itahan sky 
is over their heads, the luxuriance of nature is around 
them, while at their feet are scattered the noblest 
monuments of ages that are gone. We had frequently 
been told that the most touching music to be heard in 
Rome was that of their Vesper service, but that some 
persons having lately misbehaved during its perfor- 
mance, an order had been issued to exclude all Protes- 
tants. For this of course we could not blame them. 
No one has a right to go into a foreign church merely 
to gratify his curiosity, and then by levity interrupt 
the worship. However he may differ from them, he 



266 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

should regard their feelings for the sanctity of the 
place and the service. But the conduct of foreigners 
in Rome is generally in this particular very exception- 
able. They seem to regard the most solemn rites and 
ceremonies of the Church of Rome as merely intended 
for their amusement, and act accordingly. There cer- 
tainly is nothing religious in their conduct, and the 
most we can say of it is that it may be somewhat 
classical, for they take in a degree the place of the 
Chorus in the ancient Greek Tragedy, by continually 
making their comments aloud, and giving their opinion 
on whatever is going forward. 

Some of our friends had lately attempted to gain 
admittance to this service, but without success. We 
determined, however, to make the trial, and one after- 
noon w^alked up to the Convent. The chapel was 
closed, so we proceeded to a side door and boldly rang 
the bell. In a moment, a nun in her close white cap 
appeared at the little grating, and after reconnoitring 
us, inquired our business. We stated, that we came 
to attend Vespers ; whereupon we were informed that 
we could not be admitted, and the grating closed. 
We lingered about on the Pincian Hill, until a short 
time after seeing some persons ascend the steps who 
we supposed to be members of the Roman Catholic 
Church, we joined them and mingled with their party. 
Fortunately a different nun came to the grating, 
through which a brief conversation took place, when 
the door opened, and we all quietly walked in to- 
gether. 

The upper part of the chapel was separated from the 
rest by a high grating, within which w^as the altar, 
while at the other end was a lofty organ gallery com- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 267 

inunicating with the Convent. In a few moments a 
priest with four or five attendants entered, and knelt 
before the Altar. Then a side door within the grating- 
opened, and some forty scholars, their heads covered 
with white veils, came in, and after gracefully kneel- 
ing for a moment before the crucifix, ranged them- 
selves on each side. In the high choir gallery we 
could just see the white caps of the nuns appearing 
above the railing. 

At length the service began. The organ played a 
few fitful notes, when a single female voice was heard 
from among the nuns chanting in the most plaintive 
manner. It seemed indeed to wail out as if a funeral 
dirge. Others presently joined in, and the sounds 
sweetly filled the chapel. They ceased, and instantly 
were heard the manly voices of the priest and his at- 
tendants, as kneeling like statues, with their faces 
towards the altar, they sang the response. Then came 
again those soft and melancholy tones fi'om the organ 
gallery, and thus they alternated through the whole 
Evening Psalms. It was the only time in the service 
of the Church that we had heard male and female 
voices together, and the contrast was striking. I know 
not why it was too that the voices of these nuns 
sounded so plaintively, but they seemed in harmony 
wdth the service, heard in the waning twilight ; and the 
whole effect was deeply devotional. The tones at times 
seemed to be almost unearthly, as if they had been 
purified from the frailty of this lower world — the out- 
pourings of a spirit utterly divorced from all the cares 
of this wearing life, — 

" Musical, but sadly sweet." 



268 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Madame de Stael says, " Those who have not heard 
ItaUan singing can form no idea of music. The human 
voice is soft and sweet as the flowers and skies. This 
charm was made but for such a clime : each reflect the 
other. The Italians have ever devotedly loved music. 
Dante, in his ' Purgatory,' meets the best singer of his 
day, and asks him for one of his delicious airs. The 
entranced spirits forget themselves as they hear it, 
until their guardian recalls them to the truth." And 
this view of Italian enthusiasm is correct. In other 
lands they may bring music to the highest point of 
perfect execution, but here they seem intensely to feel 
it. The sweet sounds to which they listen enter into 
their very souls. And when, in addition, the senti- 
ments embodied lead our thoughts on to the solemn re- 
alities of the future, the strains fall upon the ear with 
a touching power of which words can give no adequate 
idea. 

But to return to the Convent Vespers. Besides 
ourselves, there were only about forty persons present, 
all of whom were undoubtedly members of the Church 
of Rome, except one English gentleman, who probably 
gained admission very much as we did. Their deeply 
devotional manner, as they knelt upon the marble 
pavement, contributed much to the solemnity of the 
scene. They were evidently not mere spectators, but 
worshippers. As the service proceeded, the twilight 
deepened, the incense spread through the dark arches 
above us like a thin white cloud, and the only lights 
being the candles about the Altar, the rest of the 
chapel was gradually involved in gloom. There was 
an absence of all that parade and show which gener- 
ally mark the services of the Church of Rome, and 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 269 

altogether it was the most impressive one which we 
attended in Italy. For months afterwards we were 
haunted by the solemn melody of these tremulous, 
plaintive tones. They reminded us of those " spiritual 
creatures," whose songs, when " in full harmonic num- 
ber joined," our first parents heard in the bowers of 
Paradise, '' from the steep of echoing hill or thicket " — 

" Celestial voices 
Sole, or responsive each to other's note, 
Singing their great Creator ! '* 





CHAPTER XXL 

THE ROMAN PEOPLE. THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF THE 

PAPAL COURT. 

T is the fashion to abuse the Itahans. Trav- 
ellers pass through the country, meeting only 
the custom-house officers, the postilions, and 
the hangers-on at inns, and decide authori- 
tatively on the worthlessness of the people. It is, 
of course, evident, that they see the worst portion, and 
can learn nothing of those traits of national character 
which lie below the surface. The first view is cer- 
tainly not prepossessing. The traveller finds wretched- 
ness on every side of him, and therefore records at once 
a condemnation against the whole country, which a 
little more time induces him to revoke. Such was the 
case with Shelley. Nothing can be more widely dif- 
ferent than the opinion which he expresses of the peo- 
ple on first entering Italy, and that which we find in 
his letters only six weeks afterwards. 

And this is particularly the case in the Papal States. 
Your first greeting is from a crowd of beggars. In Tus- 
cany nothing of the kind is seen, and it proves there- 
fore that the evil is the result of wretched government. 
During a residence of several weeks in Florence, we 
were scarcely ever asked for charity, and on our way 
through the country saw only an active, industrious 
population. The instant, however, that we once more 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 271 

crossed the frontiers, and entered the territories of the 
Church, on our way to Bologna, the old scene was re- 
newed, and the carriage surrounded by swarms, en- 
treating relief in the name of the Madonna, and all the 
saints in the Calendar. 

In Rome itself we meet with apparently the most 
wretched population in all Italy. There is no trade or 
commerce, and it seems as if half the people supported 
themselves by begging. Wherever you go, they gather 
around, and you have constantly dinned into your ears, 
'' Caritd^ forestieri^^ (charity, strangers). They par- 
ticularly collect on the steps of the Seala di Spagna^ 
because strangers generally reside in that vicinity, and 
there they lie in wait, wishing you '' good morning," 
and for a hajoecho^ adding to it a profusion of prayers 
for your welfare. In addition to the difficulty of find- 
ing any employment, this delicious climate probably 
indisposes them to active exertion. Their maxim is, 
'^ Dolce far niente^^ (it is sweet to do nothing), and 
they make life one long siesta. It glides away in a 
graceful listlessness, — a dreamy, sleepy indolence, — 
until illness, or the feebleness of age, warns them that 
they will soon have done with it forever. Then, some 
Brotherhood nurses them in their last agonies, and 
buries them when dead. This state of things, it is 
true, cannot be pleasant to a stranger, for it brings 
constantly before him, misery, real or feigned, in every 
form, until there is danger lest his heart may at last 
become hardened against every exhibition. 

Robberies, too, are fi-equent. Almost the only light in 
the narrow streets is that which comes from the faintly 
twinkling lamps hung before the pictures of the Ma- 
donna. There is ample opportunity, therefore, for the 



272 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

assassin to do his work, and, concealed in a dark alley 
or doorway, he waits to spring on the passer-by. With 
him the old demand — " Your money or your life " — 
means something. The former must be immediately 
forthcoming, or the latter is gone ; for the stiletto is 
sharp, and the arm that wields it skillful. Passengers, 
therefore, at night walk carefully in the middle of the 
street, looking around them with the cautious air of 
men, who feel that they are in an enemy's country. 
As it is, every week w^e have the tale of some murders 
committed. No newspaper, indeed, records them, for 
it is the policy of government to hush up such proofs 
of its weakness, yet still they are whispered about as 
items of the daily news. In this respect Rome is a 
miserable contrast to Vienna, where, so admirable are 
the police arrangements, that a female might at mid- 
night walk alone, from one end of the city to the other, 
without being insulted. 

These are things most obvious to a traveller, and 
which interfere most with his comfort, but they are not 
to be charged on the great body of the people. They 
are, indeed, hasty and fiery in disposition, but by no 
means cruel or sanguinary, and their crimes are very 
often the result of some sudden and almost irresistible 
impulse. The man of whom you hear as having, in a 
moment of passion, taken life, perhaps gives himself up 
to agonies of mind infinitely worse than the scaffold, 
and then passes his remaining days in a monastery, to 
atone, by bitter repentance, for his sin. Such are the 
extremes of Italian character. 

Most travellers prefer the Neapolitans to the Ro- 
mans. They are charmed with the light-hearted, 
merry air of the poor lazzaroni, or amused with 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 273 

the strange contrast in their traits. With scarcely 
any clothing, and no home nearer than the grave, — 
through the day lounging in the sun of their delightful 
climate, and at night sleeping in the grotto of Posi- 
lippo, or any other shelter that is at hand ■ — steeped to 
the lips in poverty, and with no prospect before them 
but to die in a hospital, and be buried like a dog in the 
Campo Santo^ — you would, of course, expect to find 
them reduced to the lowest state of brutal degradation. 
And yet, go out on the Mole of a beautiful day, and 
you will see a circle of these homeless wretches gath- 
ered around some reader, whom they have hired for a 
few grana to recite to them the " Orlando Furioso " 
of Ariosto, or the lofty strains of Tasso. All this, of 
course, fascinates a casual observer, but I prefer the 
Romans. They have less frivolity ; more depth and 
solidity ; more of the haughtiness and reserve of the 
Spaniard — in short, more character than the Neapoli- 
tans. At the same time, they excel the French in 
sincerity, and the Germans in refinement. The knowl- 
edge of the arts, which they imbibe from their child- 
hood with the very air they breathe gives them a grace 
of mind, and a degree of civilization, which would sur- 
prise one able to look below the surface. The forms of 
expression, too, used by the lower orders have often an 
air of poetry about them, which contrasts strikingly 
with the uncouth speech, and glaring vulgarisms of 
the same classes in Northern Europe. It is, indeed, 
customary with us to ridicule them for their supersti- 
tions, yet, with the faith in which they were instructed, 
would it not be a miracle if it were otherwise ? And, 
besides this, should not the land which has witnessed 
Salem witchcraft and Mormonism — without mention- 

18 



274 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

ing countless other developments of fierce fanaticism — 
remember the line — 

"Mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur? " 

Those who know them best commend them for being 
kind-hearted and generous. Charitable we know they 
are, and the manner in which they minister to the 
wants of those poorer than themselves, might teach a 
useful lesson to many who pride themselves on their 
irefinement and purer faith. We refer here to the 
common people, for as a class they are far superior to 
their nobles. This, indeed, is the case through all 
Southern Europe, and even in Spain, where the claims 
of descent are still so much respected. There the An- 
dalusian peasant is a much nobler being than his lord. 

How far the stream of Roman blood has remained 
unmixed with that of the barbarians, who in succession 
became masters of the city, we cannot of course tell. 
In one district of Rome, on the further side of the 
Tiber, live a peculiar race, who probably, more, than 
any others, retain the traits which are left of the 
ancient inhabitants. They are the Trasteverini^ boast- 
ing themselves the sole, unmingled descendants of the 
old masters of the world. You can detect them any- 
where by their noble figures and haughty bearing, as 
if they had the consciousness of being of a superior 
race. " In the tall forms, and bold profiles, of the 
Trasteverini women, the matrons of Rome might still 
discern their true successors, fresh mothers of new 
Gracchi ; and in the fiery eye of many a male, in that 
wild Janiculum suburb, or among the fierce Montigiani, 
there linger, yet un quenched, the lightnings before 
which client kings and suppliant ambassadors, were 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 275 

wont to quail." ^ They are most careful to prevent 
any intermarriage with those around them ; no worldly 
temptation, indeed, seems strong enough to induce 
them to contract an alliance out of their own clan. 
Their dress is peculiar : the men having a jacket of 
black velvet thrown over their shoulders, a crimson 
sash round their waist, and large silver buckles on 
their shoes ; while the women, particularly on fete 
days, are gayly attired in velvet bodices, laced with 
gold, scarlet aprons, and their hair braided in silken 
nets, with large silver bodkins. Even their section of 
the city seems to be less changed than the rest. Their 
churches are old temples, but little altered ; the bridges 
which connect them with the city occupy the same sites 
as those which were built two thousand years ago ; and 
among them, they still point to one which has taken 
the place of that Horatius Codes so gallantly de- 
fended. The inhabitants seem to have all the lofty 
spirit of those they claim as ancestors, but there is no 
worthy object to which to direct it. 

Such then are the modern Romans, and we have 
given this sketch because we believe that degraded as 
we often see them, they possess within themselves the 
elements of better things. A wretched government 
has made them what they are. Crushing all enter- 
prise, and discouraging any studies which may give 
evidence of an inquiring mind, what does it leave to 
its subjects but a life of hopeless inactivitj^ ? They 
have nothing to do — nothing for which to strive, — 
nothing which it is possible for them to achieve. 

The time when Rome enjoyed its greatest prosperity 
was undoubtedly during the brief rule of the French. 

1 F. W. Faber. 



276 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

When they constituted it " the Department of the 
Tiber," almost their first act was, the formation of an 
Institute of twenty-four Professors. The abuses in the 
admmistration of justice were at once removed ; asy- 
lums for assassins abohshed ; murderers torn even from 
the ahar to receive their punishment ; and for the 
first time in many centuries, hfe began to be safe 
within the walls of the Eternal City. The fiery spirit 
of the Trasteverini impelled them to some outrage, 
and immediately a strong force crossed the Tiber, 
marched into their section, seized the ringleaders, and 
shot tw^enty-tw^o when surrounded by their own clans- 
men. From that time there was the most perfect 
peace in the Trastevere. The feudalities of the nobles 
too were abolished, and the power of life and death on 
their estates taken from them. Prince Doria, it is 
said, at that time, surrendered ninety fiefs, and Bor- 
ghese as many. A pressure — the crushing weight 
of centuries of religious despotism — seemed to be 
removed from Rome, and a new life began to be 
breathed into its people. 

Nor did the antiquities escape their care. The 
Column of Trajan, part of the Forum, and the Baths 
of Titus, were excavated under their direction ; and 
more was accomplished in a few months than had 
previously been done in a score of years. We have 
already mentioned — in describing the Vatican — that 
one of Napoleon's great schemes was, to carry out the 
plan of Raphael and have a thorough exploration of all 
the ruins, the execution of which was only prevented 
by his fall. 

Tiie Church too was cleared of the incumbrances by 
which it had been crippled for so long a time. This 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 277 

was effected by the sale of public lands, and when Pins 
VII. returned, he found that debts to the amount of 
millions had been liquidated, and in place of bank- 
ruptcy he had an overflowing treasury. 

Such was the state of things when the French rule 
ended. The old government resumed its sway, and at 
once Rome glided back to the sixteenth century. If 
the wave of a magician's wand could in an instant 
transform England into what it was in the days of the 
Tudors, it would not be a greater change. Industry 
and energy only rendered their possessor liable to 
suspicion, and were of course seen no longer.^ The 
countless ecclesiastics who filled the streets under the 
old regime once more reappeared, and Rome became 
again what we see it now — the city of priests and 
beggars. 

From that time the people were again crushed down 
by the most grievous of all tyrannies, — that which 
enchains the soul and the intellect, as well as the body. 
The most jealous surveillance is kept up, strangers 
are narrowly watched, the strictest care is taken to 
exclude all heretical works, and even scientific re- 
searches are discouraged. Politics of course never 
form a subject of conversation among the people, for 
they have no right even to have opinions on these 

1 One result of this naturally was, the immediate formation of a new 
Papal debt. In 1831 it had increased to six hundred millions of Italian 
lire — more than twelve hundred thousand dollars, — and it has since been 
steadily growing. In 1832 such was the exhausted state of the public 
Treasury, that a foreign loan was negotiated, one was imposed on the prin- 
cipal cities, the funds of some of the charitable institutions in Bologna 
were seized, and the land-tax was increased a third: other loans were 
effected in succeeding years. No variety of expedient has been left un- 
tried, and yet the financial position of the government daily becomes more 
critical. 



278 THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME, 

points. The object seems to be to keep them in ig- 
norance of what is passing in the rest of the world. 
Every little while the officers of the Police make a de- 
scent on Molandini's small circulating Library, — which, 
by the way, is used almost entirely by foreigners, — and 
seize every volume which they consider exceptionable. 
Not a Prayer-book for the British Chapel can be kept 
for sale in the city, but all are obliged to be smuggled 
in the baggage of travellers. While we were there, 
there was a notice one morning at the Reading-room, 
that the last few numbers of the " London Times " 
could not be placed on the files. They contained 
something which the Government did not like, and 
had been seized by the Police. None therefore could 
be delivered from the Post-office, and the English had 
to go without the latest news from home. There is a 
little paper published several times a week, not much 
larger than a sheet of foolscap, but it is principally 
filled with notices of the Papal Court, festivals and 
fast days, services, sermons, and ecclesiastics. Any 
item of foreign news is generally with reference to the 
movements of some Royal family ; that " the Emperor 
of Austria has taken up his residence for the summer 
at the Palace of Schonbrunn," or something equally 
important. And this is the intellectual liberty allowed 
by the Papal Government. Can we expect anything 
therefore from the people ? Our only wonder is, that 
every spark of generous or lofty emotions is not long 
since trampled out, and finding them as they are, we 
do not feel prepared to assent to Dante's charge, when 
he describes them as — 

" the people which of all the world 
Degenerates most." i 

1 II Paradiso, Cant. xvi. 1. 56. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 279 

Mazzini, one of their own exiles, thus describes his 
native land : '' In Italy nothing speaks. Silence is 
the common law. The people are silent by reason of 
terror, the masters are silent from policy. Conspira- 
cies, strife, persecution, vengeance, all exist, but make 
no noise ; they excite neither applause nor complaint : 
one might fancy the very steps of the scaffold were 
spread with velvet, so little noise do heads make w^hen 
they fall." 

Occasionally indeed there is an outbreak, but the 
Austrian troops march in, and their bayonets soon re- 
store the cause of despotism. Yet beneath its surface 
the spirit of the old Carbonari still '' lives, and moves, 
and has its being." That deep feeling of which the 
stern enthusiast, Arnold of Brescia, the plebeian Rienzi, 
and the patrician Stefano Porcaro, were in succession 
the developments, and which in later days burns in 
every page of Alfieri, is only biding its time to come 
forth in action. We met with individuals dispersed 
here and there who were writhing under the foreign 
yoke, and when they found we were foreigners, threw 
aside the customary caution and gave utterance to their 
indignant thoughts. The society of " Young Italy " 
still exists in depths to which even an Austrian police 
cannot penetrate, striking its roots everywhere and 
reaching each rank of society. Its objects are, the 
expulsion of the Imperial troops and the liberation of 
Italy ; its union under one government, with Rome for 
the capital ; and the reduction of the Pope to his spirit- 
ual duties as a Christian Bishop. Its members are 
often men, who, like " the last of the Tribunes," look 
beyond the feudal forms of the Middle Ages, and feed 
the kindling fires of their minds by recollections of 



280 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

ancient Classic Rome. The very beauty of their land, 
rich in so many haunting memories, presents to them 
its ceaseless appeal. As they wander among its an- 
tique monuments, the admonitus locorwn awakens every 
noble impulse, and speaks to their souls like a clarion's 
voice. 

And we trust that one day the time will come, when 
from the plains of the soft Campania, the hoary relics 
of Imperial Rome, the sea-girt palaces of Venice, and 
the olive-groves of fair Milan, shall burst one wild 
shout, the voice of a people rising in its might — the 
herald of returning freedom. And then, when their 
magnificent designs are accomplished, and the name of 
Italy is once more written among the nations of the 
world, another Sismondi will be needed to continue 
her history, assuming for his work indeed a happier 
name than that which the last adopted, when he was 
forced to inscribe upon his title-page — '' Italian Re- 
publics ; or, the origin, progress, and fall of Italian 
freedom.,'*'^ 





CHAPTER XXII. 

THE PAPAL CHURCH. 

HE theory on which the Roman Government 
is founded is a noble one, — that of rendering 
everything subsidiary to rehgion. The whole 
object and aim of the civil authorities is, 
the advancement of their faith. And, since they are 
clothed with despotic power to accomplish this end, we 
should suppose they would wield an overpowering in- 
fluence for the spiritual benefit of their people. Why 
is it then that ignorance and degradation, are so much 
the characteristics of the Roman populace, except that 
their Church does not well and worthily use the power 
with which it has been intrusted ? 

We would attempt, however, with diffidence, the ex- 
pression of an opinion on the religious state of Rome. 
It is most difficult, in a foreign land, to decide on the 
spiritual significancy with which the people invest their 
many ceremonies, or the degree of moral influence 
which these rites exert over them. Everything is, 
of course, more prominently brought before us, than 
humble, unostentatious devotion. Of the possessors of 
this spirit, the world knows not. Christ's true follow- 
ers are often his ''hidden ones." Generally, indeed, 
we learn nothing of a system but its glaring abuses, 
and from these we form our estimate. We look, for 
instance, upon a monastery, but remember not how 



282 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

many fervent prayers ascend from its altars, or how 
many hearts, in its gloomy cells, may be disciplining 
themselves by bitter penitence for the world to come. 
We think only of the corruptions of the system, — and 
they are, of course, too great to allow us ever to wish for 
its restoration, — yet may there not be many a spirit 
struggling through them, and, in spite of every diffi- 
culty, painfully winning its way on to purity and peace ? 
The latter is the suggestion of charity, which we too 
often forget. 

It is in this spirit, indeed, that those without her fold 
are too much accustomed to estimate everything which 
relates to the Church of Rome. They look at her 
course through the Middle Ages, and denounce it all 
as one long period of evil and darkness. And yet, at 
that time, the Church — changed as she may have been 
from her early purity — was the only antagonist of the 
ignorance and vice, which characterized the feudal sys- 
tem. It was a conflict of mental with physical power, 
and by the victory she gained, the world was rescued 
from a debasing despotism, the triumph of which would 
have plunged our race into hopeless slavery. If the 
Church substituted another tjTanny in its place, it was 
a better one. It was something which acted on the 
moral impulses of man, and endeavored in its own 
way to guide him on to sanctity. No one, indeed, can 
read the writers of the " Ages " which we call " Dark," 
without feeling that beneath the surface was a depth 
of devotion, and a degree of intellectual light, for which 
they have never received due credit.^ An isolated pas- 

1 To any one who wishes to see the oft-repeated stories of the ignorance 
of " the Daric Ages " most ably refuted, we would recommend Maitland's 
Dark Ages. 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 283 

sage, or a brief allusion, discover, perhaps, a thorough 
acquaintance with a truth, which we have been accus- 
tomed to consider utterly forgotten, until rediscovered 
at the time of the Reformation. Look at one single 
example of this in the poems of a Spanish cavalier, Don 
George Manrique, who was killed in the year 1479. 
Where, in the present day, can we find a clearer state- 
ment of one of the great doctrines of our faith, than is 
given in the following verse ? — 

" Thou, that for our sins didst take 
A human form, and humbly make 

Thy home on earth ; 
Thou, that to Thy divinity 
A human nature didst ally 

By mortal birth, — 
And in that form didst suffer here 
Torment, and agony, and fear, 

So patiently; 
By Thy redeeming grace alone, 
And not for merits of my own, 

O pardon me! " i 

And yet, this was written years before Luther was 
born ; and it was a popular ballad in Spain, sung in the 
castles of her nobles, and in her peasant homes through 
many a retired valley, nearly half a century before the 
Reformation began. We mention this merely to show 
how erroneous is popular judgment on such subjects, 
and the necessity there is for estimating with caution 
the degree of intellectual or spiritual light possessed by 
masses of men with whom our acquaintance, is neces- 
sarily very limited. 

There are, however, many practices of the Church 
of Rome, w^hich are here constantly before our eyes, so 
utterly at variance with every principle of true Catho- 
lic faith, that the most enlarged charity cannot forbid 

1 Longfellow's translation. 



284 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

our thorough condemnation. Some of these — the 
rehcs and statue in St. Peter's, the face in the Mam- 
ertine prisons,, the inscription on the Cross of the Co- 
Hseum, the services of St. Anthony's Day, and the 
Santa Scala — we have already mentioned in previous 
chapters. In the few following pages, therefore, we 
shall endeavor to speak of others which are most ob- 
vious. 

In this city the Church is always before us. Its 
holy days are enforced by law, when the shops are 
obliged to be closed, and all business is suspended. 
The magnificent carriages of the Cardinals constantly 
dash by ; processions each day pass our windows, with 
their lighted tapers, chanting the service as they carry 
the Host, and all kneel on the pavement while they 
remain in hearing. Wherever we walk, we find 
throngs of ecclesiastics of every kind. The pilgrim is 
here, with his " sandal-shoon and scollop-shell ; " the 
lordly-looking priest, with his ample cloak and shovel 
hat, and long lines of friars, — 

" White, black, and gray, with all their trumpery." 

In the city of Rome their number is estimated at one 
in twenty-five of the population, while in the whole 
Papal dominions there are said to be (including nuns) 
nearly fifty-five thousand, — certainly ten times the 
number necessary for the spiritual wants of the peo- 
ple. The support for all this army is, of course, drawn 
from the impoverished inhabitants. 

Of relics it is almost superfluous to WTite, for every 
church has its abundant share of bones, and ashes, and 
blood, of the Saints. In the Church of San Lorenzo we 
were shown the gridiron on which St. Lawrence suf- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 285 

fered martyrdom, some of his teeth, and vials of his 
blood. In the Church of St. Praxides are marble 
panels, on which are engraved a list of the relics 
they have preserved. It is too long for insertion 
here, but we make from it the following selection : A 
tooth of St. Peter ; a tooth of St. Paul ; a part of the 
blessed Virgin Mary's chemise ; part of the girdle of 
our Lord ; part of the rod of Moses ; part of the earth 
on which our Lord prayed before his Passion ; part of 
the sponge with which they gave our Lord to drink, 
and of the reed on which it was placed ; part of the 
sepulchre of the Virgin Mary ; a picture of our Lord, 
which St. Peter gave to Prudens, the father of St, 
Praxides ; part of the towel with which our Lord 
wiped his disciples' feet ; part of the swaddling-clothes 
in which our Lord was wrapped at his Nativity ; part 
of his seamless garment ; three thorns from his crown, 
and four fragments of the true Cross. We have copied 
about one quarter : these, however, are sufficient to 
show the objects of reverence which are exhibited in 
every church to the credulity of the faithful. 

One of the most fatal of their doctrines is that of 
Indulgences. It seems to be expressed so broadly and 
unequivocally, that there can be but one way of under- 
standing it. Over the door of almost every church is 
the inscription — " Indulgentia plenaria quotidiana 
PERPETUA PRO vivis ET DEFUNCTis." In the Church 
erected above the Mamertine prisons is a long Italian 
inscription, of which we translate the following por- 
tion : '' From a prison it was consecrated a Church in 
honor of the said holy Apostles, by Saint Sylvester, 
Pope, at the prayer of the Emperor Constantine the 
Great, and he gave it the name of S, Pietro in Career e^ 



286 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

and granted every day to each one who visited it, one 
thousand two hundred years of indulgence, doubled on 
Sundays and commanded Festivals, and moreover every- 
day the remission of the third part of sins. Greg- 
ory XIII. granted there plenary indulgence on the 
first day of August, from the first Vespers until sun- 
set. Finally, Pius VI., in 1776, granted there every 
day the perpetual plenary indulgence for the living and 
the dead." I one day asked an ecclesiastic, what these 
things meant ? He went into a very elaborate attempt 
to explain them away, at the end of which I was no 
wiser than before. Either I w^as very dull, or he dark- 
ened the matter by a multitude of words. But these 
inscriptions are constantly seen on every side, and how 
must the common and uneducated classes interpret 
them ? Why, of course, exactly according to the lit- 
eral meaning of the words. 

The doctrine of Purgatory is brought before them 
with equal distinctness. The inscription at the Ma- 
mertine prisons, a portion of which we have given 
above, concludes with this sentence, " The altar of this 
Church of S. Pietro in Career e is privileged every day 
forever with the liberation of one soul from Purgatory, 
for every mass which shall be celebrated at the same." 
And in almost all the Churches are inscriptions like 
the following, which we one morning copied from 
over the altar in that of aS'. Maria della Paee — '' Ogni 
messa celebrata in quest altare, libera un anima dal 
purgatorio." Saying masses is indeed sometimes the 
only support of unbeneficed priests. They are in read- 
iness to perform this duty for any who wish it, and thus 
contrive to gain a precarious living. The price for a 
mass is from three to four pauls, that is, from thirty 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 287 

to forty cents. This disgraceful traffic in sacred things 
shows that Rome has not improved, since Dante re- 
ferred to it as the place — 

" Where gainful merchandise is made of Christ 
Throughout the livelong day." i 

The Rev. Dr. Jarvis, in a work — ''No Union with 
Rome " — published a few years since, has a passage 
showing how much an individual by a little bodily 
labor can do before breakfast, to gain remission of his 
sins ; and from an acquaintance with the places men- 
tioned, we can confirm the feasibility of the plan. 
" At sunrise he might kiss the Cross in the Coliseum, 
and obtain two hundred days' indulgence in a moment. 
He might hurry to the Church of St. Pudens and St. 
Pudentiana, and during a half hour's mass, secure to 
himself three thousand years' indulgence, and the re- 
mission of a third part of his sins. Returning by the 
way of Ara Coeli, he can recite the litanies of the most 
blessed Virgin at the altar of her who by Papal au- 
thority is called the refuge of sinners, and he has 
two hundred days more of indulgence, which he may 
either keep himself, or kindly give to one of his dead 
friends. If he has three pauls (thirty cents) in his 
pocket, he may exercise his charity toward that friend 
still further, by having a mass said expressly for his 
soul by one of the monks or any other priest, and 
thus deliver it at once from the torments of Pur- 
gatory. Crossing thence to the Mamertine prison he 
may gain twelve hundred years' indulgence, or on a 
Sunday or Festival morning, two thousand four hun- 
dred years, and the remission of another third part of 
his sins. Here, also, if he has another thirty cents to 

1 // Paradi$Oj Cant, xviii. 1. 50. 



288 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

spare, he can pay for another mass, and hberate another 
friend from purgatory. Thus he may before breakfast, 
every day of his hfe, obtain for himself at least more 
than four thousand three hundred years' indulgence, 
and the remission of two thirds of his sins, with only a 
little bodily labor ; and for the expense of sixty cents 
he may liberate two souls from purgatory." 

While such corruptions exist, is it not natural that 
unbelief should be rife ? The fear of the Inquisition 
may indeed prevent its open declaration, yet still it 
poisons the very fountain of faith, and changes men 
into formal hypocrites. The educated ask. Can this 
be the religion of Christ? It requires but a faint 
glimmering of reason to answer in the negative, and 
knowing nothing to substitute in its place, they fall 
into the coldness of skepticism. We believe that the 
external city well typifies the actual condition of the 
Papal Church. On every side we see decrepit, faded 
grandeur, the evidences of a mighty power which in 
past centuries had here its home, but which has now 
utterly passed away. 

The most fearful picture of religion in Rome is that 
given by Mazzini. He writes indeed with the bitter- 
ness of an exile, and we should therefore feel inclined 
to soften some expressions and strike out some sen- 
tences of sweeping condemnation ; yet as a whole, we 
fear there is too much truth in his view. '' Conceive 
the state of a creed-distrusting people, curbed, dom- 
ineered, overburdened by an army of priests manifest- 
ing faith only in force, who surround themselves with 
Swiss and Austrian bayonets, or, in the name of Christ, 
muster brigands from the galleys ! Religion — I speak 
of Papal Catholicism — is, in the Roman States more 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 289 

than elsewhere, Ufeless ; lifeless in the educated classes 
as a consequence of the enlightened age ; lifeless in the 
people as wanting a symbol — as wanting a something 
representative. Who in that country is ignorant, that 
the nomination of Christ's Vicar depends on ambassa- 
dorial intrigue, and that the direct or indirect Veto of 
Austria, of France, or some other power, throws into 
nonentity the so termed chosen of the Holy Spirit? 
Who is ignorant that long since the King strangled the 
Pope; that diplomacy masters theology ; that the notes 
of foreign plenipotentiaries, have inspired Briefs to the 
clergy of Poland and the Bishops of Ireland ? Which 
motu-proprio of a Pope but insults the infallibility of 
his predecessor ? Who in the provinces but can point 
to the agents of the Prelate-Governors, shamelessly 
trafficking in all that can bring money to themselves 
or their masters ? How, dizzied in this whirlpool of 
scandal, of hypocrisy, of dilapidation, can man preserve 
his faith intact ? By a deplorable but too natural re- 
action, negation, materialism, doubt, day by day ingulf 
fresh souls. Nought of religion survives but forms, 
outward shows, and observances, compelled by law. 
It is compulsory that men should communicate at Eas- 
ter ; it is compulsory that the youth of schools and 
universities should be present at Mass each day, and 
communicate once a month ; it is compulsory that pub- 
lic officers should take part in services termed religious. 
Such is religion in the Papal States." 

This is the dark side of the Church of Rome, and 
we write it in sorrow that any branch of the Church 
of Christ should ever have given occasion for such com- 
ments. Very many, however, there must be who are 
not subject to these charges, and who in spite of 

19 



290 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

their doctrinal errors and the dogmas of a perverted 
theology, seem to exhibit in their own characters the 
highest principles of faith. Their lives are marked by 
austerity, and self-denial, and ceaseless devotion. Un- 
less it were so, they could not send forth works char- 
acterized by so ele^ ated a tone of religious life — 
breathing a spirit of abstraction from this world, and 
a longing for the realities of that which is to come, 
almost unearthly in its nature. Nor can these pro- 
ductions be read by the people, and become familiar 
to their minds, without leaving some holy impress. 
Take, for instance, this little Latin hymn, with which 
they are well acquainted, and how lofty is its tone ! 
It is ascribed to St. Francis Xavier, whose missionary 
•labors in the East gained for him the title of Apostle 
lof the Indies. 

" Deus I ego amo te : 
Nee amo te, ut salves me, 
Aut quia non amantes te 
-^temo punis igne. 

" Tu, tu, mi Jesu, totum me 
Amplexus es in Cruce. 
Tulisti clavos, lanceam, 
Multamque ignominiam : 
Innumeros dolores 
Sudores et angores, 
Ac mortem : et haec propter me 
Ac pro me peccatore. 

" Cur igitur non amem te 
Jesu amantissime ? 
Non ut in coelo salves me, 
Aut ne asternum damnes me, 
Nee proemii ullius spe: 
Sed sicut tu amasti me, 
Sic amo et amabo te : 
Solum quia Rex meus es, 
Et solum quia Deus es. 

Amen '* 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 291 

We subjoin the following translation, without know- 
ing to whom it is ascribed. It is, however, quite literal : 

*' God ! my spirit loves but Thee, 
Not that in heaven its home may be, 
Nor that the souls which love not Thee 
Shall groan in fire eternally. 

" But Thou on the accursed tree 

In mercy hast embraced me. 

For me the cruel nails, the spear, 

The ignominious scoff didst bear, 

Countless, unutterable woes — 

The bloody sweat — death's pangs and throes — 

These Thou didst bear, all these for me, 

A sinner and estranged from Thee. 

" And wherefore no affection show, 
Jesus, to Thee that lov'st me so? 
Not that in heaven my home may be ; 
Not lest I die eternally; 
Not from the hopes of joys above me: 
But even as Thyself didst love me, 
So love I, and will ever love Thee : 
Solely because my King art Thou, 
My God for evermore as now. 

Amen." 

That the mind from which such lines emanated 
must have been tuned to a lofty devotion, none can 
doubt ; but when his words are adopted as a portion 
of the literature of a people, and sink into their hearts, 
we consider it an evidence that there are many in 
whose deep religious feelings the sentiments them- 
selves have found a ready echo. With such it has 
been my good fortune sometimes to meet — men who, 
in their self-denying zeal and earnestness of spirit, 
might have stood by the side of Xavier himself. And 
I was always glad to avail myself of the opportunity 
to see and converse with those who differ from us so 
widely, to learn the extent of the gulf which sepa- 



292 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

rates us, and to hear their views stated by them- 
selves. 

This high character common report gives to Padre 
J., with whom I became acquainted in Northern Italy. 
He is a Jesuit, and, we were told, one of the most 
influential of his Order in Europe. Brought up in 
the army of France, he attained high rank under Na- 
poleon, before he abandoned his profession for the 
priesthood. He is thoroughly versed in all the schemes 
of his Order, and is usually regarded as keeper to the 
conscience of the king in whose dominions he now lives. 
Yet everywhere I heard a tribute paid to his devotion 
and zeal ; and if he is at times mixed up with the in- 
trigues of states, it seems to be done without any 
sacrifice of those higher qualities for which we should 
chiefly look in the ecclesiastic. Although eighty 
years of age, '' his eye is not dim, nor his natural force 
abated," and no one from appearance would judge him 
to be more than sixty. 

The greater part of the morning before I left the 
city in which he resides, was spent in conversation 
with him. Meeting in the sacristy of the Chiu^ch 
attached to his monastery, he invited me to his room. 
We went up through the long stone galleries, seldom 
trodden by Protestant feet, passing occasionally a 
monk who was walking slowly back and forth, ap- 
parently absorbed in the book he held in his hand. 
The cell of Padre J. contained only what was abso- 
lutely necessary. There were his little bed and table, 
the picture and Crucifix, the few books he used, and, 
besides these, we saw only naked walls and the hard 
stone floor. The day was cold, but there was no fire 
to warm the room — nothing but the little chafing-dish 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 293 

of ashes and of coals, which the old man held in his 
lap, and over which he spread out his hands as he 
talked. His face beamed with animation as he expa- 
tiated on his Church, and spoke of the cheering signs 
he discerned in France, which he trusted would 
strengthen until that land was redeemed from skepti- 
cism, although he himself could never live to see the 
consummation. 

We mention this interview, because the conversa- 
tion was a fair example of what such discussions must 
always be with members of the Church of Rome. 
They invariably turn upon a single point. The Padre 
quoted to me that declaration in the Athanasian Creed, 
'' Whoever will be saved, before all things it is 
necessary that he hold the Catholic faith." This of 
course no one is inclined to deny, but it opens before 
us the wide inquiry. What is the Catholic faith ? and 
this only carries us one step ftirther back, which is to 
the question, '' What is the Catholic Church ? " Here 
at length we reach the separating point, on which we 
differ as widely as the poles. And this will always be 
found to be the gist of the argument. It will ever 
turn upon the inquiry, " Are we or are we not, a 
portion of the true Catholic Church ? " 

One claim by which the old Padre attempted most 
earnestly to fortify his position, was that of modern 
miracles for the Church of Rome. The occurrence 
of these he insisted on as proofs that she was the 
Church. He dwelt particularly upon one, with which 
he assured me he was personally acquainted. It was 
the recovery of the daughter of the governor of Nice, 
who had been confined to her bed for months with a 
diseased limb. At length mortification commenced 



294 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

and she was about to submit to amputation, when 
through the prayers of a friend offered up to a certain 
saint, she was instantaneously cured, and able to rise 
at once in perfect health. Of course, the only answer 
I could make was, '' That all this depended on the 
question of facts." This, however, is a favorite ar- 
gument with the members of the Church of Rome. 
The gift of miracles remaining in the Church is some- 
thing tangible, and they are very apt, therefore, to bring 
it forward in support of their lofty claims. 

Italy, of course, abounds with the records of modem 
miracles. Many undoubtedly are the effect of impos- 
ture, but many more owe their apparent existence to a 
more innocent cause. In this Southern clime the 
warm and glowing imagination of its children renders 
them disposed to receive impressions of the marvelous, 
with a facility of which the cold and cautious sons of 
the North know nothing. Their tendency also to fig- 
urative language and exaggerated descriptions, often 
induces them to clothe a common occurrence in lan- 
guage which conveys a very erroneous impression to 
the hearer. Thus the narrative of any event, seem- 
ingly strange, after passing through a few hands easily 
grows into a miracle, and is chronicled accordingly. 
This is in some measure the philosophy of the subject 
as I once heard it given by an ecclesiastic ; and several 
of his illustrations were so new to me that it may be 
worth while to give them, as far as possible, in his 
own words. 

" Many of these reputed miracles," said he, " are 
mere types of qualities which existed in the individ- 
uals to whom they are ascribed, and which are thus 
shadowed forth by sensible images, or they are figura- 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 295 

tive descriptions of actual events. For example, — in 
one of the towns of Italy a house is pointed out, in 
which, some half century ago, a wandering friar ap- 
plied to the family for alms. Being rudely repulsed, 
he went into the kitchen, where a brace of pheasants 
were roasting before the fire. He made over them the 
sign of the Cross, when at once they slid off the spit, 
clothed themselves with feathers, and flew away. 
Thus, at least, runs the legend. Now, to you this 
undoubtedly seems a ridiculous fable ; to me, on the 
contrary, it is a most edifying story. I strip it of the 
figurative language, and this history remains. That 
family w^as probably known to be deficient in the virtue 
of charity, and Providence brought misfortunes upon 
them. The pheasants represent the superfluities and 
luxuries of life, and by their departure we learn, that 
the riches of these churls ' made to themselves wrings 
and flew away.' This was their retribution, and the 
narrative comes to us as an allegory." 

" So it was," he continued, '^ often in England. St. 
Dunstan had a quarrel with Edwy, because that King 
had married Elgiva, his relative w^ithin the prohibited 
degrees. After a long contest the Saint gained the 
day, and the King was forced to yield. The common 
people, whose sympathies, in that rude age, w^ere all 
with the Church, hailed it as a triumph. The King 
had been forced to overgo ' the lusts of the flesh.' St. 
Dunstan had conquered the Evil One. Thus they 
spoke of it as a battle with Satan, and in the next gen- 
eration, by means of the figurative language in which 
tradition gave it, the conflict, in their belief, passed 
into a real and personal one. Their champion had^ 
actually encountered and routed the Devil. And, as 



296 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

stories which are thus handed down never lose, we 
now have the legend, that St. Dunstan ended the con- 
test, by seizing the Devil with a red-hot tongs. So 
it is with all his life. Read the marvels which the old 
monkish chroniclers have given ns about him, and you 
can reduce them all down to some such basis of com- 
mon sense." 

We give this exposition for its singularity, leaving 
the reader to decide on its value as elucidating the 
legendary lore of the Church of Rome. 

And yet, amid all the ignorance, and superstition, 
which prevails in this land, there are reflecting minds 
sighing for a purer faith. They would not desert their 
Church, but they see her errors, and would have her 
remodeled in accordance with Catholic truth. They 
realize that she has borne herself too loftily, and would 
wish her therefore lay aside her temporal claims, and 
in lowliness of mind demean herself as she ought — 
changing, too, their Pontiff to a Christian Bishop, that 
he may no longer be induced, while the Lord tarries, 
to forget his duty to his fellow-servants, and to tyran- 
nize over them. These are views which we have often 
heard expressed. On one occasion we travelled for 
some time with a gentleman from Milan, who had 
reasoned himself out of the errors of his Church, and 
into a Creed essentially Catholic. But, for the pres- 
ent, he did not dare to show that he had abandoned 
any of the old landmarks. And there were many, he 
said, who shared his sentiments. 

May we not hope, then, that the time will come, 
when, within the bounds of their own Church, they 
will feel every aspiration gratified, faith have room 
for its exercise, and Catholic truth recognize her once 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 297 

more as its champion ? How nobly would all that is 
pure, and holy, and of good report, advance in this 
apostate earth, if Rome could throw aside her errors, 
and lend her mighty influence to the cause ! She still 
retains those ancient Creeds, which were acknowledged 
in primitive times, and are now held by all Catholic 
Christendom. The great truths she teaches are the 
truths for all ages — the awful verities for which con- 
fessors and martyrs, in early days, were willing to die. 
The errors she mingles with them are the dogmas only 
of her single Church — which particular times, and 
schools, have grafted on her, and which she has unfor- 
tunately retained. How earnestly, therefore, should we 
pray, that the hour of her awakening may come, when, 
leaving her relics to moulder in their forgotten shrines, 
putting from her all narrow sympathies, restoring her 
doctrines to the model of early times, and uniting at 
length with those who have retained the faith in its 
purity, the long separated branches of Christ's Church 
shall be able to go forth together to reap the harvest 
fields of the Cross ! Then shall the Church become in 
reality that august spectacle which floated before the 
glowing vision of St. Augustine, when on the distant 
shores of Africa, and amidst the expiring throes of 
Paganism, he sent forth his " City of God," to hail, 
with all the treasures of his matchless eloquence, that 
universal dominion which he knew would be her heri- 
tage. This is the consummation which poor humanity 
is earnestly desiring. The world is wearying of strife, 
and more and more with hope, and love, and oft re- 
peated inquiry, is craving the return of Christian unity. 
In every land we feel the mighty beatings of this in- 
tense desire with which the heart of our race is filled. 



298 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

But we must close this chapter. We have, through 
this volume, spoken of tlie Papal Church, honestly and 
truly, as she seemed to us, expressmg the admh^ation 
we feel for the many Catholic traits she retains ; her 
charitable institutions for the relief of every kind of 
misery ; her broad and expansive views, looking over 
the whole earth as the field of Christian labor, and the 
solemn beauty of so many of her services, appealing at 
once to the deepest cravings of the heart by their holy 
teaching, or raising the soul above this earth by the 
austere hymns received from early days. But the 
view is one of mingled darkness and light. We have 
been forced, therefore, to speak also of fearfal errors 
perverting the truth, and of countless ceremonies mar- 
ring the effect of her noblest services, till he who 
studies them in the Missal scarcely recognizes them 
when performed amidst the pomp of her old Cathe- 
drals. We can have no sympathies, then, with Rome 
while she remains unchanged, but turn from her with 
renewed happiness to the stern purity of our own 
Church. 

" I love thfee, nor would stir 

Thy simple note, severe in character, 

By use made lovelier, for the loftier tune 
Of hymn, response, and touching antiphone, 

Lest we lose homelier truth." 

He must be unsettled, indeed, in the first principles 
of his own belief, who can decide otherwise, or gather 
from a study of the Papal Church any feeling but that 
of thankfulness to old English Reformers, because they 
were willing to peril their lives, even unto death, to de- 
fend the purity of the faith. '' If first thou be well 
grounded," says Fuller, in his usual quaint way, " their 
fooleries shall rivet thy faith the faster, and travel shall 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLY DAYS IN ROME. 299 

give thee Confirmation in that Baptism thou didst re- 
ceive at home." 

But are there some who are unwilling to recognize 
anything good within her fold, and feel, therefore, as if 
we had not been thorough enough in our condemnation 
of Rome ? We would say to them, It is not a pleas- 
ant office for the children of the Peacemaker to be 
widening those gulfs, which even now separate them 
so much from each other. We have, indeed, con- 
demned where truth required it, but dwelt with regi^et 
on these portions of our subject, for we remember that 
we, too, as a Church, have our grievous sins, which 
might well hush every whisper of self-complacency. 
Widely, then, as we differ from Rome, we would speak 
of her with no feelings hut those of the deepest sorrow, 
that such a mighty influence should be lost to the cause 
of truth. Let it be, as when in ancient Israel one of 
her tribes came not up in the day of battle, the proph- 
etess declared, that for their defection " there were 
great searchings of heart." And should another rea- 
son be asked, we would quote to him who demands it, 
the words in which a poet of our own day inculcates 
the true Christian temper, and the remembrance of 
which has often restrained the pen, when we would 
have written words of bitterness, — 

" Thou to wax fierce 

In the cause of the Lord, 
To threat and to pierce 

With the heavenly sword ! 
Anger and zeal 

And the joy of the brave, 
VHio bade ihee feel, 

Sin's slave ? 
The altar's pure flame 

Consumes as it soars ; 



300 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

Faith meetly may blame, 

For it serves and adores. 
Thou warnest and smitest ! 

Yet Christ must atone 
For a soul that thou slightest — 
Thine own." 





CHAPTER XXIII. 

FAREWELL TO ROME. 

HE time of our departure draws nigh, and 
we must soon bid adieu to the Eternal City. 
Pleasant indeed have been the days of our 
sojourn here ! Crowded with scenes which 
could not but awaken the deepest interest, they went 
by like the " Days of Thalaba." We have been 
living for a time in the shadowy Past. The remem- 
brance of distant ages, whose traces are preserved only 
in dim tradition, came thronging on us at every step. 
It was moving back the shadow upon the old dial-plate 
of Time. It was summoning up from the depths of 
our own minds the memory, long indistinct, of deeds 
which moved the world, and here on the spot where 
they were acted, investing them with a reality and life. 
We look at what Rome has been in the days of the 
Repubhc and in the splendor of her Imperial sway, 
and then seek out the footsteps of these mighty Ages, 
in the fading greatness which still remains. And 
everywhere we trace them still uneffaced. The Mis- 
tress of the world indeed stands before us like Milton's 
Apostate Angel, whose — 

" Form had yet not lost 
All her original brightness, nor appeared 
Less than archangel ruin'd, and the excess 
Of glory obscured." 



302 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME. 

We have been once more to St. Peter's to take 
another look at that unequaled temple, and from the 
brow of the Pincian Hill for the last time have seen 
the sun set over this array of domes and towers. How 
beautifully it goes down in the cloudless sky, pouring 
a flood of golden light upon the mighty city ! Grad- 
ually the purple fades from the mountains, and the 
transparent azure above is exchanged for the deeper 
blue of the evening sky, gemmed by a thousand stars. 
We sat there, with no one near us, to watch the 
changing lights and shadows. A death-like calm, an 
air of dreamy repose, rested on the city at our feet. 
The idle loiterers had left the Hill, and we saw only 
its statues and obelisks, and works of antique art, 
mingling with the deep green of the foliage. As we 
looked upon the scene spread out in beauty around us, 
there seemed to be within our sight a glorious grouping 
of all that is exquisite, the loveliness of present nature 
mingled with the noble associations which the past has 
bequeathed to us from a remote antiquity. The fading 
light spread over it a bewitching softness, a mellow- 
ing and blending of every tint and color, which words 
cannot describe and which only Claude could have 
painted. And while the twihght deepened, there 
came faintly from the neighboring Convent the sound 
of solemn music, and the stillness around us was 
broken by the Evening Hymn to the Virgin : — 

" Ave, Regina ccelorum, 
Ave, Domina angelorum. 
Salve radix, Salve porta, 
Ex qua mundo lux est orta ; 
Gaude Virgo gloriosa, 
Super omnes speciosa ; 



THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 803 

Vale, valde decora, 

Et pro nobis Christum exora " ^ 

But what is to be the destiny of Rome ? Is she to 
be the centre of Christendom, and age after age the 
place to which pilgrims from every land shall direct 
their steps ? Is she entering on a new dominion — 
the third cycle, — in which she is to rule the world by 
Arts as once she did by her arms, and then by her 
faith? There is another thought which has in it 
something affecting and solemn. The malaria is in- 
creasing, so that large portions of the city which a 
century ago were famed for their salubrity, are now 
uninhabitable. At the Lateran, the Pope has been 
obliged to leave his palace, and the humble dwellers 
around him their abodes, so that the tall grass waves in 
those wide squares, and an unbroken silence has taken 
the place of the hum of busy population. The enemy 
is stealthily creeping on, its presence betrayed by no 
external sign, but there seems to be a fresh and deli- 
cious atmosphere, which they who breathe find to be 
death. No human sagacity can detect it in the trans- 
parent air, nor any human means arrest its progress. 
An invisible and mysterious agent, it expels man from 
the region over which its wing is spread, or he remains 
only to wither and die. 

But if such continues to be the history of coming 
years, how strange must be the destiny of the Im- 

1 " Hail Mar}' ! Queen of Heavenly spheres, 
Hail, whom the angelic host reveres ! 
Hail fruitful root ! Hail sacred gate. 
Whence the world's light derives its date; 
O glorious Maid, with beauty blest! 
May joys eternal fill thy breast ! 
Thus crown'd with beauty and with joy, 
Thy prayers for us with Christ employ. '* 



304 THE CHRISTMAS HOLYDAYS IN ROME, 

perial City ! Its people will gradually retire before 
this destroying spirit, and seek in other spots the safety 
denied them here, until once more the Seven Hills 
become as silent as they were before Romulus en- 
camped upon their heights. Then it will remain, 
like the city of which we read in Arabian fable, whose 
inhabitants in a moment were turned to stoiie, so that 
the traveller wandered in amazement through palaces 
and halls, where none came forth to meet him, and no 
sound was heard but the echo of his own steps. Its 
mighty monuments will stand, like those of Paestum, 
waste and desolate in their grandeur. Spring, and 
summer, and winter will pass over the forsaken city ; 
the hoariness of age gather on its marble columns 
and stain its gilded walls ; and Nature, spreading her 
luxuriance over them, and wreathing them each year 
with a thicker drapery, thus silently yet surely reclaim 
her dominion ; until at last all on which we now gaze 
will only harmonize with the wild and dreary Cam- 
pagna around. 

But would not this be a fit conclusion to the long 
and eventfiil career of the Mistress of the World? 
There seems a strange and mysterious awe lingering 
about her which forbids the thought that she should 
fall by human agency. If, after surviving wars and 
sieges and conflagrations, she must at last be num- 
bered with Nineveh and Babylon, and those cities of 
the Elder World whose names only live in history, let 
there be no proud conqueror rejoicing over her end ! 
Let her not be crushed and humbled by the violence 
of man, but thus pass away " without hands," so that 
the hour can scarcely be marked in which she ceases 
to exist ! 

THE END. 



WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR 



I. 

The Lenten Past. 

Th 17' tee nth Editio7i, 1^1.25. 
II. 

The Double Witness of the Church. 

Seventeenth Edition. $1.50. 

III. 
The Early Conflicts of Christianity. 

Fourth Edition. $1.25. 
IV. 

The Catacombs of Rome. 

Fifth Edition, ^i.oo. 

V. 
The Early Jesuit Missions in North America. 

Fon 7'th Editiofi. $1.50. 

VI. 
The Unnoticed Things of Scripture. 

Just Published. $1.50. 
VII. 

The Christmas Holydays in Rome. 

Nrdu Edition. $1.7 $- 



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